Rare sea creature — with ‘peg-like’ teeth — spotted near Israel. Watch it swim
In January 2021, researchers in Israel spotted an unusual sea creature in the Gulf of Eilat.
It was a rare Sousa plumbea, also known as an Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, according to the Israel Nature and Park Authority. Since its original visit, the creature has stopped into the gulf a few times.
Now, officials have spotted the dolphin in the gulf again, according to a Sept. 12 Facebook post from the nature and park authority.
A video shared by officials shows the dolphin diving through shallow waters.
Indian Ocean humpback dolphins are characterized by the hump on their backs and prominent fins, according to the Marine Mammal Research & Conservation Network of India. They can also be identified by their 29 to 38 pairs of “peg-like” teeth on their top and bottom jaws.
When researchers spotted the dolphin in the gulf in 2021, it was the northernmost recorded encounter with the species in the Red Sea, and it was the first time the species had been seen in the Gulf of Eilat, marine experts said.
The Gulf of Eilat is south of Israel, connected to the Red Sea.
Facebook Translate was used to translate a post from the Israel Nature and Park Authority.
This story was originally published September 15, 2023 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Rare sea creature — with ‘peg-like’ teeth — spotted near Israel. Watch it swim."
