Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC) announced on Thursday, March 14, 2024, that a research team encountered over 50 dolphins within Qatar's territorial waters.
"A research team from the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change (MoECC) encountered a pod of over 50 common bottlenose dolphins and a family group of 3 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in Qatari territorial waters," the Ministry posted on its social media.
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
The common bottlenose dolphin is one of three species of bottlenose dolphins in the genus Tursiops.
Spending their entire lives in water, common bottlenose dolphins inhabit temperate and tropical oceans worldwide, absent only from polar waters.
They typically measure between 2 and 4 meters in length and weigh between 150 and 650 kg.
The Common bottlenose dolphins live in groups called pods, ranging from pairs to over 1000 animals for short periods.
Notably, they possess a larger brain than humans. They are known for their intelligence and are popular in aquarium shows and television programs.
They are widely recognized due to their exposure in captivity in marine parks and dolphinariums.
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin
The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is a species inhabiting coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Also known as the Chinese white dolphin in certain regions, it is regarded by some as a subspecies of the Indian Ocean humpback dolphin.
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins can be grey, white, or pink, with a body length ranging from 2 to 3.5 meters for adults and 1 meter for infants. They weigh between 150 to 230 kg.
Living in small groups with fewer than ten individuals, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins hunt using echolocation.
The monitoring process conducted by the Ministry revealed the presence of healthy newborn dolphins accompanying the two groups, indicating a healthy breeding dolphin population in Qatari territorial waters.
