Photo Credit: Chen Topkian, Israel Nature and Parks Authority
Dolphins (G. griseus) head to Eilat from out of town, observed in Gulf of Eilat

Apparently even dolphins from out of town have heard that southern Israel has something to offer in the way of tourism and summer fun: a pod of about 40 dolphins was spotted Wednesday about 800 meters from the coast, of the Grey Grampus (G. griseus) or Risso’s Dolphin type.

They were observed while swimming at the head of the Gulf of Eilat by a supervisor with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Assaf Zevuloni, a Gulf ecologist at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said the dolphins were relatively large, about four meters long.

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“Because the slope is very steep in the Gulf, the dolphins were observed swimming relatively close to the coastline,” he said.

Dolphin mom (g. griseus) teaching her baby how to float in order to breathe in the Gulf of Eilat

One of the photographs shows a mother and her pup, with the mother helping her new baby to float on the water so she can breathe, as dolphins are mammals.

These dolphins appear to have white markings on their bodies that appears almost like white scarring on their grey skin. They are usually found in deep oceanic and continental slope waters, albeit widely distributed around the world, but they are rarely seen in Eilat. Adults are large, and can be at least 3.8 meters long, with a maximum recorded at about 400 kg, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the United Nations.

http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2738/en

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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.