First Sighting Record of the Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) in Dubai Sea

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First Sighting Record of the Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica Gervais, 1883) in the Sea of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Arabian Gulf By : Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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On Saturday 07.10,2017, two Arabian Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae indica Gervais, 1883) mother and juvenile were live-sighted in the Sea of Dubai-Jumeirah, near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, between 13.35 – 13.45 hours. It was sighted by the famous English Leicester City Club footballer Jamie Vardy, wife Becky Vardy, Kite-surfer Peter Stephenson, Francesca and Geoffrey and others. The videorecorded sighting was also recorded in the Facebook page of the UAE Dolphin Project.

This was the First Live-Sighting Record of the Arabian Humpback Whale in the Sea of Dubai.

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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The following Arabian Humpback Whale study is based on an article by Seyed Mohammad Hashem Dakhteh, Sharif Ranjbar, Mostafa Moazeni, Nazanin Mohsenian, Hossein Delshab, Hamed Moshiri, Seyed Mohammad B. Nabavi and Koen Van Waerebeek (September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale

The humpback whale has long been considered a rare straggler into the Arabian/Persian Gulf, however new evidence contradicts this concept. Published and new records for the occurrence of Megaptera novaeangliae Borowski, 1781, was for the Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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period 1883-2017. Of nine authenticated records (6 specimens, 3 live-sightings), eight are contemporary cases while one is a mid-Holocene specimen from UAE. An additional four are possible but unsubstantiated reports. Five current regional range states are confirmed, i.e. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE. Four of the six newly reported cases are from Iran's coastal waters. It is concluded that the Arabian Gulf is part of the habitual range of the Arabian Sea humpback whale population, and has been since at least the mid-Holocene. It is unknown whether frequent passage occurs through the Strait of Hormuz or whether whales are (semi)resident. The low abundance of this endangered population and frequent deleterious anthropogenic events, particularly ship strikes and net entanglements, are cause for major concern. In view of its historical and taxonomic relevance, the formal description of Megaptera indica Gervais, 1883, from Iraq, now thought to be a subspecies Megaptera novaeangliae indica, is here translated from French (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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Introduction An unique, because non-migrating, population of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae inhabits year-round the northern Arabian Sea, including the Gulf of Oman (Baldwin and Salm, 1994; Baldwin, 1998; Baldwin et al., 1999; Mikhalev, 1997; Minton et al., 2011; Pomilla et al., 2014). The strong upwelling off Oman allows the whales to feed locally and forgo annual migrations (Papastavrou and Van Waerebeek, 1998). The Arabian Sea humpback whale forms a highly discrete stock that may have been reproductively isolated from other populations for some 70,000 years (Pomilla et al., 2014; Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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A recent study of nuclear markers (Kershaw et al., 2017) was consistent with the view of a discrete Arabian Sea breeding stock and found to be highly genetically differentiated (FST 0.034–0.161; P < 0.01 for all comparisons). The distributional boundaries of that population are poorly known, but extend to the Irani coast in the north (Braulik et al., 2010; Owfi et al., 2016), at least to Pakistan in the northeast (Van Beneden, 1887; Mikhalev, 1997), and to the Gulf of Aden (Mikhalev, 1997; Slijper et al., 1964) in the Southwest. Based on a working document presented to the IWC Scientific Committee (Dakhteh et al., 2017), we here critically review the long presumed rare occurrence of humpback whales in the Arabian Gulf and suggest possible implications for management (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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In the core distribution area, off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman, humpback whales seem to be concentrated off the Island of Masirah, Gulf of Masirah, Halaniyat Islands and Kuria Muria Bay in the Arabian Sea, considering that greatest numbers of records are from these areas (Baldwin et al., 1999; Minton et al., 2011). Humpback whales are sometimes seen near Fujairah, eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the western Gulf of Oman (Baldwin, 1995), while the most northerly report on that coastline is of an individual at Khor [Khawr] Fakkan in 1973, some 80 km south of the Strait of Hormuz (M. Barwani, pers.comm. in Baldwin et al., 1999). Although reported for the Arabian Gulf by seamen (Slijper et al. 1964), till recently there was but a single authenticated record, namely Gervais (1883). Due to the lack of further evidence, the humpback whale has long been considered a rare visitor to the Arabian Gulf (Baldwin et al., 1999; Baldwin, 2003; Mikhalev, 1997; Robineau, 1998). However, a series of new, substantiated records is contradicting this view. Here we chronologically document and critically examine published humpback whale records, and add previously unreported records, for the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Potential but unsubstantiated reports are also discussed (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Number 155 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; November 2017

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Substantiated Records in the Arabian Gulf 1. Al-Basra Bay, Iraq The earliest record in the Arabian Gulf is a specimen-supported 19th century stranding of an adult humpback whale at the Al-Basra Bay (then named 'baie de Basora') in Iraq, described as the type specimen of Megaptera indica by French taxonomist Paul François Gervais in 1883. Binomial nomenclature for many cetacean species, including the humpback whale, was highly unstable and proliferative at the end of the 19th century with the introduction of many synonyms based on individual variation (e.g. Van Beneden, 1887; True, 1904). The Megaptera indica nominal species has been universally re-assigned as a junior synonym of Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) (e.g.

Hershkovitz, 1966; Tomilin, 1967; Robineau, 1989; Clapham and Mead, 1999). While the subspecific status of the isolated population of the Arabian humpback whale is currently under debate, the identity of the Al-Basra Bay animal as a humpback whale is indisputable thanks to the detailed osteological description including species-diagnostic features (Gervais, 1883) and cranial evidence re-examined by cetologist Daniel Robineau (1989, 1998). Unique among baleen whales, only in Megaptera novaeangliae are the coracoid (processus coracoideus) and acromial processes of the scapula absent, or are expressed as rudimentary tubercles (True, 1904; Brinkmann, 1967; Tomilin, 1967).

Gervais (1883) unequivocally described such a scapula in the Iraqi whale, as well as reported metacarpalia and phalanges in Megaptera indica as even more elongated than in a specimen of Megaptera boops Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880 (=Megaptera novaeangliae) despite the latter measuring 2m longer than the Megaptera indica holotype. The whale's broad, uniformly black baleen is also consistent with humpback whale. Among balaenopterids, only Megaptera novaeangliae and blue whale Balaenoptera musculus have uniformly black baleen. Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis has blackish baleen but with white fringe (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Gervais (1888) published a second paper on the same specimen which is occasionally, equivocally, cited as the formal Megaptera indica description. While Gervais (1883) had access to both cranial and post-cranial bones, Robineau (1989, 1998) found only the calvaria (JAC 1883-2255) at the Laboratoire d'Anatomie Comparée of the Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. He measured the calvaria as 3 meters in length with the tip of the rostrum missing, which agrees with the condylobasal length (CBL) of an adult humpback whale of some 12 meters length, e.g. CBL= 314 cm. for a 12.20 meters humpback whale (in True, 1904); CBL= 311 cm. for a 11.96 meters skeleton (in Tomilin, 1967). Gervais (1883) considered the Iraq specimen a rare, extralimital record originating from the Indian Ocean, a view prevailing till recently (Baldwin et al., 1999; Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Considering its taxonomic and historical relevance and because it may be hardly accessible to many readers, we here present the translation of the published paper on the Basra Humpback Whale by H.-P. Gervais on the 31st December 1883.

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On a new species of the genus Megaptera, originating from the Bay of Basora [Al-Basra] (Persian Gulf) by H.-P. Gervais (1883). Translated and annotated [in square brackets]. » The genus Megaptera, as established by the authors of the Ostéographie des Cétacés [i.e. Van Beneden & Gervais, 1880] comprehends four distinct species; the first two, the Megaptera Boops [(Fabricius, 1780)] and Megaptera Lalandii [(Fisher, 1829)] are established with certainty; the two others, Megaptera Novae-Zelandiae [Gray, 1864] and Megaptera Kuzira [Gray, 1850] are described only provisionally as their characteristics are still insufficiently clear (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale

» Although Mr. [Pierre-Joseph] Van Beneden, in a recent work, has come back from the idea that he formulated 20 years ago that there exists but a single cosmopolitan species of Megaptera, namely Megaptera Boops, we think that we can demonstrate from a study that we undertook, through the comparison of new material accumulated at the anatomical collections of the Paris Museum, that the law of species distribution established for the [families] Balaenidae and Balaenopteridae, has to apply also to Megaptera and that the number of species of this group have to be recognised as three.

These are the Megaptera Boops, inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere; the Megaptera Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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Lalandii which frequents the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, and the Megaptera of the Persian Gulf, which is the subject of the present note, a species which is supposed to inhabit the Indian Ocean and to which we propose to give the name Megaptera indica, since the individual obtained for the collections of the Museum would only have penetrated the Persian Gulf accidentally, from where it was shipped to us (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The size of the humpback whale of the Persian Gulf, which had attained adult age, differs hardly from the size of the skeleton of the equally adult Megaptera Boops with which we compared it. The external body shape should however have been more slender and its head more rounded (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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» The general shape of the bony head shows, in its dorsal contours, a much more masked curvature: the rostrum is more obtuse, the lower part of the maxillary is more arched. The occipital region of the skull is less concave than in the Megaptera from the north, the longitudinal crest occupying the middle of the external face of the occipital is more pronounced. The lateral occipital protrusions are more marked while the condylar region is less prominent; the occipital opening [foramen magnum] is located less high and, consequently, projects more to the rear (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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» The os temporale differs especially in its zygomatic part, which is shorter, more massive, more arched at its top and is more outwards projecting. The frontal bones demonstrate also, in their shape, fairly large differences; their orbital extensions are more massive, in a less oblique way from inside to outside and from the rear to anterior.

The optical groove is largely open over its entire tract (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The lower part of the skull, although somewhat damaged, has nonetheless permitted us to note that the os palatinum, which is highly characteristic with respect to the distinction between cetacean species, differs in shape, shows more considerable thickness and their large articulation with the maxillaries ['maxillaires supérieurs'] in the Megaptera from the Persian Gulf. The pterygoid bones are also very heavy, and their posterior apophysis, much shorter and bulkier than in Megaptera Boops, is strongly recurved towards the rear and outwards (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The maxillaries' external borders are less straight than in the northern species. The rostrum shows a fairly marked narrowing somewhat anterior to the base of the orbital apophyses, then it widens in the middle region before progressively narrowing towards its anterior end. All the parts show, rather pronounced, different characteristics (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The os jugale and the os lacrimale also show a particular configuration in our animal (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The vertebrae overall are distinguished by the thickness of their bodies [corpus vertebrae], which is more pronounced in the first few cervicals of the Megaptera of the Persian Gulf than the corresponding bodies in the Megaptera of Lapome [= M. Boops], which however was of greater length. The transverse and spinous processes in the former species, compared to the latter species, differ in shape and direction; they are generally shorter, broader and thicker. The transverse processes of the dorsal region, especially those that occupy the middle part of that region, are higher than can be seen in any of the skeletons described till now and bring our Megaptera closer to the right whales, more than any other species of the group (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The first and the second cervical vertebrae deserve to be especially mentioned: the atlas is distinguished from the one in Megaptera Boops by the curvature of its upper neural arch, the thickness of its [vertebral] lamina of which the posterior border is grooved by two deep articular cavities [facets] into which the two articular apophyses fit from the anterior rim of the neural arch of the axis; the upper transversal processes are shorter and more massive (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The lower transversal processes are well-developed, which is not the case in Megaptera Boops; the process at the right is ankylosed with the upper transversal process and forms an apophyseal mass, apparently unique, at which base one can find a large vertebral canal [foramen] (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The second cervical vertebra or axis differs as much from that of the northern species as the two atlas vertebrae are different between them. The third cervical vertebra shows Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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two pairs of highly developed transversal processes, namely upper and lower (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The thoracic limb [flipper] is longer than the one in Megaptera Boops, with which we compare it, even while considering that the body size of the first one is 2 meter shorter than the second one. The scapula does not bear an acromion [diagnostic for Megaptera]; the coracoid process is represented by a small bone protrusion [diagnostic for Megaptera] and the overall shape of this bone differs measurably between the two species. All metacarpal bones are larger, longer and thicker than in the northern species; they contribute jointly with the plalanges which are also longer, larger and more flattened to give to the flipper of this animal its larger dimensions (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The ribs are less long and more rounded than in the other two species (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The sternum in our Megaptera from the Persian Gulf differs completely in shape from all the Mysticete species described so far. This bone is relatively very small, although we are dealing with an adult specimen. Its shape is like some sort of tail flukes of which the anterior face is concave in vertical sense and convex transversally. The lateral extensions, articulating with the first pair of ribs, are barely noticeable. All the edges are rounded, especially the anterior one which is thick and curved forward; the lower border ends in a pronounced triangular point (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The tympanic bulla of the Megaptera of the Persian Gulf has a characteristic shape; and is remarkable by its small dimensions (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017). » The baleen plates are large, thick and coloured uniformly black (Gervais, 1883; Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

2. Kuwait Inner Harbour, Kuwait Mörzer-Bruyns (1971; p.182) reported that a humpback whale stayed one week in the Kuwait Inner Harbour in the western Arabian Gulf, where it finally died after being hit by the propeller of a manoeuvring ship. Evidently pre-1971, there is no indication of date. The Dutch Captain Willem Frederik Jacob Mörzer-Bruyns, during his 40 years at sea, made a reputation as an experienced field observer of whales and dolphins and published several scientific papers on cetaceans. His ability to correctly recognise a live or freshly dead humpback whale, arguably the most identifiable of all baleen whales, should be undeniable and hence we consider this record to be valid (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

3. Khour Mousa, Iran Seyed M.B. Nabavi registered a live-sighting of a single adult humpback whale around Khour Mousa (also spelled: Khur Moosa) in the western Arabian Gulf at N30°6.8492', E49°10.299', on 18 July 1984. After some 20 hours the whale was seen to leave the area for deeper waters of the Gulf. The encounter is supported by two good photographs, showing the diagnostic low dorsal fin with a long base and a leading hump, and the flukes with an irregular serrated edge. When surfacing, the whale exposed three deep Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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incisive injuries transversal across its dorsal fin. This pathomorphology is consistent with a sharp force trauma such as following collision with a large-vessel propeller. The injuries appeared unhealed and the survivability of this whale was unclear (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale

4. Bahrekan coast, Iran The carcass of a juvenile humpback whale washed ashore on the Bahrekan coast in the shallow western Arabian Gulf, on 12 August 1996 and was examined by Seyed M.B. Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Number 155 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; November 2017

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Nabavi. No exact position is available but the centroid of the Bahrekan coast is approximately at N30°05',E49°42'. The body was relatively slender, grey in colour, with the dorsal fin set on a hump, the long right flipper measured ca. ¼ body length, the left flipper was severely damaged. The head had partly collapsed, presumably with loss of some cranial bones. The baleen plates were short. No samples were collected, but one low-resolution print photograph is available, which allowed a length estimate of 8.5-10 meters deducted from the relative size of people standing beside the whale. In the field, Nabavi confidently identified it as a humpback whale, but the cause of death could not be established. The Bahrekan coast is an eutrophicated area subjected to organic pollution from wastes and heavy metals (e.g. Pb, Cu, Cd), hydrocarbons, urban wastewater pollution and biological impacts (i.e fisheries) (Shokat et al. 2010; Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

5. Doha, Qatar Besides the Iraq record, Baldwin et al. (1999) in a comprehensive review mapped (their figure 10.2F) two unconfirmed ('?') humpback whale cases in the Arabian Gulf, one from Qatar, the other from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Later, Baldwin (2003) noted that the Iraq case is one of just two confirmed records from the Arabian Gulf, leaving uncertainty about which was his second confirmed record. When queried by Koen Van Waerebeek, Robert Baldwin kindly contacted his original source, Dr. Tony Preen, who confirmed (in litteris, 17 Feb. 2017) a record in Qatar from a photo on display at the [National] Museum of Qatar which showed a dead humpback whale being lifted by a crane, presumably in the Doha port. While pre-1999, there is no date known for the photo. Considering that Dr. Preen is an experienced marine mammalogist we recognize this as a credible, photo-supported, humpback whale record (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

6. Qeshm Island, Iran Fishermen Mr. Abdolrahman Gurani and Mr. Yusof Poozideh, from Guran village, encountered a juvenile humpback whale entangled in their fishing net in the channel between Khamir (Iran mainland) and Guran (Qeshm Island) on 6 July 2012. The site (N26°46.082', E55°36.882'), locally known as Mosaageh, forms part of the Hara Mangrove Protected Area on the north coast of Qeshm Island, with estimated water depth some 8-9 meters. The monofilament drift gillnet (length= 150m; depth= 5m; mesh size= 7.5 cm), set to target mainly silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) of 1-6 kg each, typically is soaked for 8-9 days, checked regularly if not daily. As soon the ownerfisherman had been warned of the entanglement event by fellow fishermen, they proceeded to disentangle the whale to recuperate their net. The fishermen reported the size of the whale to be similar as their boat (6-7 m), corroborated by video which shows a smallish and thus juvenile humpback whale. The cellphone recorded video (.mp4) documented species-diagnostic characteristics, the head covered with the peculiar fleshy knobs (tubercles) and a dorsal fin set on a hump. Video voucher data are deposited at the Qeshm Environment Administration of the Qeshm Free Area, Qeshm City, Iran, and at the CEPEC library (Lima, Peru) (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

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Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_location =ufi & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale

7. Akhtar, Iran H. Delshab first documented the relatively fresh, although bloating, carcass of a juvenile male humpback whale floating alongside the jetty of Akhtar Village (N27°41.722', E52°11.6367'), Bushehr Province, on 19 April 2017. The jetty was located on terrain owned by the South Pars Oil Company, near Kangan city. The unmeasured body length will be estimated once the skull is obtained. The cause of death is unknown but, considering juvenile age, is suspected to be anthropogenic, most likely shipping related.

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available. Upon discovery, due to strong wind and wave action the carcass could not be secured nor accessed for sampling, and over the next few days it drifted eastwards to wash ashore at N27°36.335', E52°29.735' close to Asalouyeh city, on 23 April 2017.

Mostafa Moazeni, head of the Asalouyeh office of the Department of Environment (DoE), directed personnel to collect and bury the whale carcass for later retrieval of the skeleton. Other voucher data include photographs and a video deposited with the Plan for the Land Society, Tehran (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

8. Musaffah Industrial Channel, Abu Dhabi, UAE Stewart et al. (2011) found whale remains (a left and right mandible, scapula, humerus and fragmentary radius and ulna as well as parts of the cranium and rostrum) belonging to a 'probable humpback whale (Megaptera cf. novaeangliae)' in the welldescribed sabkha sequence exposed in the Musaffah Industrial Channel, Abu Dhabi, UAE. More precisely, the whale remains were found in a series of sediments representing a range of lagoonal facies. The sediments surrounding the whale bones were age-dated (14C) at approximately 5200 years BP (Holocene) and are therefore interpreted to correspond to the previously documented late Flandrian sea-level peak, preceding a fall in sea-level which culminated in the supratidal sabkha overprint of the carbonates (Stewart et al., 2011). Megaptera novaeangliae has existed since at least the latest Middle Pleistocene (Nagasawa and Mitani, 2004), in the western North Pacific (Japan), and the Arabian Sea humpback whale population is thought to have been isolated from others since 70,000 years (Pomilla et al., 2014). The fan-shaped scapula without coracoid and acromion processes (see figure 6, in Stewart et al. 2011), the absent or reduced olecranon of the ulna, and the relatively more laterally directed zygomatic processes of the squamosal compared to Balaenoptera (Tomilin, 1967; Winn and Reichley, 1985; Deméré et al., 2005) demonstrate that there is no doubt about its taxonomic identity as humpback whale (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

9. Dubai-Jumeirah, UAE On Saturday 07.10,2017, two Arabian Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae indica Gervais, 1883) mother and juvenile were live-sighted in the Sea of Dubai-Jumeirah, near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, between 13.35 – 13.45 hours. It was sighted by the famous English Leicester City Club footballer Jamie Vardy, wife Becky Vardy, Kite-surfer Peter Stephenson, Francesca and Geoffrey and others. The videorecorded sighting was also recorded in the Facebook page of the UAE Dolphin Project.

This was the First Live-Sighting Record of the Arabian Humpback Whale in the Sea of Dubai.

Possible but Unsubstantiated Reports 1. An unconfirmed report relates to a vertebra and a rib in the Iraqi Natural History Museum found about 1954. There is an old report that a Turkish gunboat killed this whale about a century ago in the Shatt-al-Arab' (river dividing Iraq and Iran) (AlRobaae, 1974; De Silva, 1987). The original source was R. Hatt, 1959 but was not seen.

We could not verify whether these bones or any associated information still exist. In Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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view of the positive Al-Basra Bay (#1) and Kuwait harbour (#2) records, also from the western Gulf, a humpback whale in the Shatt-al-Arab is plausible (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

2. Slijper et al. (1964, their Chart 5) mapped three sightings of humpback whales in the Arabian Gulf, one off the UAE in May and two at the extreme western end of the Gulf, in the period 1954-1956. However these observations were made by seamen, not biologists, and the lack of voucher material does not allow us to verify identifications.

Slijper et al. (1964) believed they were reliable. It is likely that the Baldwin et al. (1999) 'possible record' for the UAE was based on this information (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. Photo

by Francesca and Geoffrey. https://www.facebook.com/373982112687427/photos/pcb.1482221515196809/14822182551971 35/?type=3&theater & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale

Discussion After reviewing published and unpublished evidence we authenticated nine records of humpback whales in the Arabian Gulf, eight contemporary cases and one midHolocene specimen. Five regional range states are confirmed, i.e. Iran (n=4), Iraq (n=1), Kuwait (n=1), Qatar (n=1) and UAE (n=1). No documented records exist from coastal Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Number 155 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; November 2017

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waters of Saudi Arabia or Bahrain (Baldwin et al. 1999; Baldwin, 2003). The UAE yielded the subfossil record but although its central coast has been flagged as a potential location of recent occurrence (Slijper et al., 1964; Gallagher, 1991; Baldwin et al., 1999), no hard evidence could be located (till September 2017) (R. Baldwin, in litteris to Koen Van Waerebeek); but in October 2017, a humpback whale mother and juvenile were live-sighted in Dubai Sea, UAE. Also, we found no published sightings for international waters of the Arabian Gulf. Four of six new records originated from Iran.

Humpback whales are commonly cited in check-lists of the mammals of Iran (Firoz, 1976; Harrington, 1977; Etemad, 1984; Humphrey and Kharom, 1995; Ziaie, 1996; Firouz, 2005). Owfi et al. (2015) suggest that 'these records appear to be based on Balaenoptera sp. skeletons that have been mis-identified as humpbacks'. However, until specimens are properly identified to species, unrecognised cases of M. novaeangliae may appear. Three reports for Iran's Gulf of Oman coast (Braulik et al., 2010; Owfi et al., 2015) originate from the Sistan/Baluchistan Province. These include a mother-calf pair sighted near Chabahar in September 2004, a stranding at Pozm (50 km W. of Chabahar) in October 2004 and a third stranding at an unspecified location in December 2003.

Unfortunately no details or verifiable voucher materials were presented, customary for new range state records. Therefore the cases reported here actually represent the first fully documented records of M. novaeangliae in Iranian waters. The Arabian Sea humpback whale is the only known population in the region. A number of records for the NW Gulf of Oman near the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz (Baldwin et al., 1999; Minton et al., 2011; Pomilla et al., 2014) allow us to reasonably assume a single-stock continuous distribution into the Arabian Gulf. Tissue samples for molecular genetics should ascertain this. The mid-Holocene specimen from UAE (Stewart et al., 2011) indicates that humpback whale presence in the Arabian Gulf is not the result of any recent ecological or climatic changes, but that the Gulf has long been part of the habitual range of the Arabian Sea population. Hopefully, future more systematic marine mammal surveying will also collect environmental data which should shed light on the factors that make the Arabian Gulf a suitable long-term habitat, if not permanent residence, for humpback whales. This shallow sea may offer favorable feeding or reproductive conditions, or both. In the Gulf of Oman, humpback whales sometimes enter very shallow water to feed on schools of sardines, anchovies, chub mackerel, scad and similar small fishes (Baldwin and Salm, 1994; Baldwin, 2003). Whales in the Arabian Gulf may be both piscivore or prey on euphausids. Surprisingly perhaps, but high densities of the euphausid Pseudeuphausia latifrons (200-299 and > 300 individuals/100 m3) are reported from the northern Arabian Gulf off Iran (Weigmann, 1970a,b). In seven of the eight reported cases in the Gulf, the whales were encountered in shallow, near-shore waters. The net-entangled juvenile near Qeshm Island (#6) is thought to have been feeding. Predators may also influence distribution. The killer whale (Orcinus orca), a known predator of humpback whales (Clapham and Mead, 1999), has been mentioned for the Arabian Gulf (Baldwin, 1995, 2003; Ada Natoli, in litt.

To Koen Van Waerebeek, 23 August 2017), however no specific records have been published (Owfi et al., 2016) and they are thought to rarely enter the Arabian Gulf. If so, Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Number 155 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; November 2017

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this might offer an additional incentive for humpback whales to reside in the Gulf. The deleterious anthropogenic effects on humpback whales in the Arabian Gulf are of major concern. Of the eight confirmed contemporary records (i.e. excluding mid-Holocene specimen), only four whales were seen alive, one of which was net-entangled (#6), the second (#3) was severely injured by a propeller collision, and a mother and juvenile (#9) were seen swimming near-shore in Dubai Sea. Among the five dead ones, at least three were juveniles that suffered an untimely death. One was a confirmed collision case (#2), and three were probable collision victims (#1, 5, 7) as they were suspiciously found inside a port or in the general vicinity of a portuary area. In addition, albeit an unconfirmed record, a whale was killed by a gunboat in Iraq. Other possible threats may include chemical contamination and oil spills (e.g. Robineau and Fiquet, 1994; Preen, 2004) and infectious diseases (Van Bressem et al., 2014). One might argue that four of the whales may have died considerable distance from location of reporting. For instance, theoretically, the Qatar specimen (#5) might have been struck and killed by a large ship, and transported, wrapped on the ship's bulbous bow, many tens or even hundreds of km from Doha. Except that, while M. novaeangliae globally is the secondmost commonly killed whale species by ship collisions, unlike other balaenopterids the species remains rarely stuck on the bow of vessels (Van Waerebeek et al., 2007), probably because of its axially asymmetric body shape. Only very few vessels (only military) had a bulbous bow in the late 19th century, and we suggest that the Iraq whale (#1) probably died near Bassora (Basra) Bay. Morphological (Gervais, 1883), genetic (Minton et al., 2011; Pomilla et al., 2014), behavioural (Whitehead, 1985) and distributional (for non-migratory) (Mikhalev, 1997; Papastavrou and Van Waerebeek, 1998) lines of evidence concord that the Arabian Sea humpback whale population has been reproductively isolated from other populations sufficiently long to differentiate.

Enhanced genetic drift within a small population may accelerate the speciation process, and we agree with Pomilla et al. (2014), that the Arabian Sea population deserves subspecific status, Megaptera novaeangliae indica. A comparative-morphological study with new specimens should re-examine earlier findings. Gervais (1883) may have emphasized disproportionate importance to variation seen in the sternum and tympanic bulla. Sternal morphology is highly variable intra-specifically in Mysticeti, and its variability is so great that it can hardly be used as a criterion for the separation of species (Omura, 1975; Klima, 1978). Sterna in humpback whales may be triangular, heart-shaped, trilobate or U-shaped (Klima, 1978). The world's so-called 'most isolated humpback whale population' combined with very low, declining, population abundance (82 ind., 95%CI 60-111 from capture-recapture; 90-142 ind. from genetic data) (Pomilla et al., 2014) raise extreme concern for this population's continued survival. Soviet whaling data suggested still at least 400 individuals 50 years ago (Pomilla et al., 2014). Dedicated marine mammal research throughout the Arabian Gulf and the northern Arabian Sea should be augmented, and besides the recording of biological data also information on human-caused mortality and morbidity, which means predominantly fisheries interactions and ship strikes. Finally, epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases also deserve priority attention (e.g. Van Bressem et al., Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Number 155 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; November 2017

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2014), as the strong isolation may mean that members of this population may be immunologically naïve and therefore highly susceptible to certain lethal epizootics (Dakhteh et al., September 2017).

Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) mother and her juvenile swimming near-shore off the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club in Dubai-Jumeirah Sea on Sat. 07.10.2017. Photo

by Francesca and Geoffrey. https://www.facebook.com/373982112687427/photos/pcb.1482221515196809/14822182518638 02/?type=3&theater & http://marine-life-uae-2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale

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Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam (1992). The Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 26, Tenth Year, January 1992. pp. 1-3.

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Eine Wissenschaftliche Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1983 – 2004 / Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. A Scientific Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2004. ISBN 3-00-014121-9. Erste Auflage, Juli 2004: 452 Seiten. Zweite erweiterte Auflage, August 2004: 460 Seiten. Norman Ali Khalaf, BonnBad Godesberg, Germany. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/& eBook: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/59405994/book-gazelle-thepalestinian-biological-bulletin-a-scientific-journey-in-palestine-arabia-and-europebetween-1983-2004-by-norman-ali-khalaf-von-jaffa-2004 Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2004). Die Wal Sonderausstellung "Delphinidae Delphionidae" und "Kleinwale in Nord- und Ostsee" im Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. BonnBad Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 35, Twenty-second Year, September 2004. pp. 1.

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2004). Der Schweinswal (Phocoena phocoena) in der Nordund Ostsee ... The Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Federal Republic of Germany. Number 36, Twenty-second Year, October 2004. pp. 1-7.

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). Thema des Tages (5. Januar 2005): In See gespülter Indopazifischer Buckeldelfin (Sousa chinensis) in Thailand nach Tagen gerettet. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Number 37, Twentythird Year, January 2005. pp. 1-3.

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). The Story of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) and the Whale. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Number 38, Twenty-third Year, February 2005. pp. 9-13.

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). Jaffa (Yaffa): The History of an Old Palestinian Arab City on the Mediterranean Sea. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin.

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Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Number 39, Twenty-third Year, March 2005. pp. 7-8.

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). The Andromeda Sea Monster of Jaffa. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Number 39, Twentythird Year, March 2005. pp. 8.

Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2005). Aquatica Arabica. An Aquatic Scientific Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1980 - 2005. / Aquatica Arabica. Eine Aquatische Wissenschaftliche Reise in Palaestina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1980 - 2005. ISBN 3-00-014835-3. Erste Auflage, August 2005: 376 Seiten. Publisher: Norman Ali Khalaf, Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Bundesrepublik Deutschland & Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/aquaticaarabica.htm & eBook: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/59407769/book-aquatica-arabica-anaquatic-scientific-journey-in-palestine-arabia-and-europe-between-1980-2005-bynorman-ali-khalaf-von-jaffa-2005 & eBook: https://joom.ag/nN6L Khalaf, Norman Ali (2005, 2006, 2007). Chapter 3: Geography, Flora and Fauna. Pages 32-39. in: Palestine: A Guide. By Mariam Shahin, Photography by George Azar. CoAuthor: Norman Ali Khalaf. Northampton, Massachusetts: Interlink Publishing Group, 2005, 2006, 2007. xi + 471 pages. Appendices to page 500. http://ipsnewsite.mysite4now.com/journals.aspx?id=7323&jid=1&href=fulltext Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2006). A Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) Stranding on Al Mamzar Beach, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 50. February 2006. pp. 1-5. https://de.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Quastenflosser/conversations/messages/ 22 Khalaf-von Jaffa, Norman Ali (2006). Mammalia Arabica. Eine Zoologische Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1980-2006. / Mammalia Arabica. A Zoological Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1980-2006. ISBN 3-00-017294-7. Erste Auflage, Juli 2006, 484 pp. Publisher: Norman Ali Khalaf, Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Deutschland & Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://dr-norman-ali-khalafbooks.webs.com/mammaliaarabica.htm & eBook (PDF): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4YzoDUtvuaZeTFCV0ZzWGhTYTg/view?usp=sh aring Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2007). Felidae Arabica. A Zoological Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1980-2007 / Felidae Arabica. Eine Zoologische Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1980-2007.

ISBN 978-3-00-019568-6. Erste Auflage (First Edition), Juli (July) 2007, 300 pp. SelfPublisher: Norman Ali Khalaf, Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Deutschland & Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (in Arabic, German and English). Doctoral Dissertation. Ashwood University, USA. Doctor of Science Degree in Zoology (Summa Cumm Laude) on 26.09.2007. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/felidaearabica.htm & Doctoral Dissertation : https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/59397999/doctorate-dissertationfelidae-arabica-by-norman-ali-bassam-khalaf-doctor-of-science-ashwood-universityusa-2007 Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (Gründer) (seit September 2007). Yahoo! Deutschland Group: Fauna Arabica. http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fauna_Arabica/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2007). Haywanat Filistin (Fauna of Palestine). In: Wikipedia-Arabic, Al-Mawsu'a Al-Hurra (The Free Encyclopedia). Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 69, September 2007, Sha’ban 1428 AH. pp. 1-4. (Article in Arabic). http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AD%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7 %D8%AA_%D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2008). Cetacea Palaestina: The Whales and Dolphins in Palestinian Waters. Cetacean Species Guide for Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 83, November 2008, Thu Al-Qi’ada 1429 AH. pp. 1-14. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://cetaceapalaestina.webs.com/& https://de.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Wale_und_Delphine/conversations/mess ages/329 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2009). Flora and Fauna in Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288.

Number 91, July 2009, Rajab 1430 AH. pp. 1-31. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://flora-fauna-palestine.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2009). Fauna Palaestina – Part One. A Zoological Journey in Palestine, Arabia and Europe between 1983 – 2006 / Fauna Palaestina – Teil Eins. Eine Zoologische Reise in Palästina, Arabien und Europa zwischen 1983 – 2006. ISBN 978-9948-03-865-8. Erste Auflage/First Edition, September 2009: 412 Seiten/Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart1.htm & eBook: https://www.yumpu.com/xx/document/view/59498633/fauna-palaestina-1-bookby-dr-norman-ali-khalaf-2009 Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2010). Fauna Emiratus - Part One. Zoological Studies in the United Arab Emirates between 2004 - 2009. / Fauna Emiratus – Teil Eins. Zoologische Studien in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate zwischen 2004 - 2009. ISBN 978-9948-15-462-4. Erste Auflage/First Edition, November 2010: 350 Seiten / Pages. Self Publisher: Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates & Rilchingen-Hanweiler, Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://dr-norman-ali-khalaf-books.webs.com/faunaemiratuspart1.htm Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2012). Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus Lilljeborg, 1861) sighted off the Mediterranean Coast of Palestine.

Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. Number 100, January 2012. pp. 1-6. Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Fauna_Palaestina/message/90 & http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/Wale_und_Delphine/message/344 Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2012). Fauna Palaestina – Part Two. Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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Zoological Studies in Palestine between 1983 – 2009 / Fauna Palaestina - Teil Zwei.

Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 1983 – 2009. ISBN 978-9948-16-667-2. 1.

Auflage / First Edition : July 2012, Shaaban 1433 H. 208 Seiten / Pages (Arabic Part 120 Pages and the English Part 88 Pages). Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Jerusalem, Palestine. http://dr-norman-ali-khalafbooks.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart2.htm Khalaf-von Jaffa, Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2013). Fauna Palaestina – Part Three.

Zoological Studies in Palestine between 2005 – 2012 / Fauna Palaestina - Teil Drei.

Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 2005 – 2012. ISBN 978-9950-383-35-7. Erste Auflage / First Edition : July 2013, Shaaban 1434 H. 364 Seiten / Pages (English / German Part 350 Pages and the Arabic Part 14 Pages). Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Jerusalem, Palestine. http://dr-norman-ali-khalafbooks.webs.com/faunapalaestinapart3.htm Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2013). † Macropomoides palaestina Khalaf, 2013 : A New Coelacanth Fish Fossil Species from the Anthracothere Hill in Al-Naqab, Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin.

ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 107, November 2013, Muharram 1435 AH. pp. 30-38. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://quastenflosser.webs.com/macropomoidespalaestina.htm Khalaf-von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2014). Fauna Palaestina – Part Four.

Zoological Studies in Palestine between 1983 – 2014 / Fauna Palaestina - Teil Vier.

Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 1983 – 2014. ISBN 978-9950-383-77-7. Erste Auflage / First Edition : July 2014, Ramadan 1435 H. pp. 456 (English part 378 pages and Arabic part 78 pages). Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Al-Quds (Jerusalem), State of Palestine. http://fauna-palaestina-part1.webs.com/faunapalaestina4.htm Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2014). The Ceratosaur Dinosaur Elaphrosaurus bambergi Janensch, 1920 Tracks from Beit Zeit, West of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Occupied Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin.

ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 117, September 2014, Thu Al-Qi’da 1435 AH. pp. 1-33. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://palestine-dinosaur.webs.com/ & http://issuu.com/drnormanalibassamkhalaf/docs/dinosaurs_at_beit_zeit_al_quds_jeru & http://www.joomag.com/magazine/gazelle-the-palestinian-biological-bulletin-issn0178-6288-number-117-september-2014-pp-1-33/0426645001392611970?page=1 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2014).

Dinasurat Al Quds (Dinosaurs of Jerusalem). Dialogue with Prof. Dr. Norman Khalafvon Jaffa. National Geographic Arabiya Magazine (October 2014, Pages 52--53). https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/15412670595 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2014). A Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) Stranding on Failaka Island, State of Kuwait. Gazelle - The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178-6288). Number 119. November 2014. pp. 1-13.

Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://animals-of-kuwait.webs.com/ Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2014). The Long-necked Whip-tailed Sauropod Dinosaur (Amphicoelias brontodiplodocus Galiano and Albersdörfer, 2010) Skeleton at Dubai Mall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 120, December 2014. pp.

1-29. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://palestinedinosaur.webs.com/sauropod-dubai-mall Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2015).

Dinasurat Al-Quds Al-Shareef, Filasteen Al-Muhtala / Dinosaurs of Al-Quds )Jerusalem(, Occupied Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 122, February 2015. pp. 1-11. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (in Arabic). http://palestine-dinosaur.webs.com/dinosaur-al-quds-palestine Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2015). Plants and Animals unique to Palestine. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 125, May 2015. pp. 1-18. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://flora-fauna-palestine-2.webs.com/ Khalaf-von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam (2015). Fauna Palaestina – Part Five.

Zoological Studies in Palestine between 1983 – 2016 / Fauna Palaestina - Teil Fünf.

Zoologische Studien in Palästina zwischen 1983 – 2016. ISBN 978-9950-383-92-0. Erste Auflage / First Edition : July 2015, Ramadan 1436 H. 448 pp. (English Part 304 Pages and the Arabic Part 144 Pages). Publisher: Dar Al Jundi Publishing House, Al-Quds (Jerusalem), State of Palestine. http://fauna-palaestina-books.webs.com/ Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2015). The 24meters Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Skeleton at the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait City, State of Kuwait. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 6288. Number 128, August 2015, pp. 1-18. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://animals-of-kuwait.webs.com/blue-whale-skeleton Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2015). The Umm Al-Maradem Island Whale Skeleton at the Educational Science Museum in Kuwait City, State of Kuwait. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 6288. Number 130, October 2015, pp. 1-18. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://animals-of-kuwait.webs.com/umm-al-maradem-whale Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2016). A Scientific Visit to Wadi El-Hitan (Whales Valley), Al-Fayyum, Al-Sahraa Al-Gharbiah (Western Desert), Egypt. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288).

Number 134, February 2016, pp. 1-44. Sharjah and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. http://cetacea.webs.com/wadi-el-hitan Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2016). Whale Bone Remains at the Diving Village, Heritage Village, Dubai, United Arab Emirates and a Note on the Whales and Dolphins in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288). Number 141, September 2016, pp.

1-19. Sharjah and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. http://cetacea.webs.com/whale-bones-dubai Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher (2016).

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Haywanat Falastin (Fauna of Palestine) ‫ حيوانات فلسطين‬. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 144, December 2016, pp. 1-18. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (In Arabic). http://animals-of-palestine-2.webs.com/fauna-ofpalestine-arabic Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher & Ola Mostafa Esmail Mostafa Khalaf (2017). Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) Nest Adoption at the Reef Dive Resort, Mataking Island, State of Sabah, Federation of Malaysia in 2015. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288.

Number 149, May 2017, pp. 1-30. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. www.seaturtles-1.webs.com Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa & Ola Mostafa Esmail Mostafa Khalaf (2017). Diaphorodoris olakhalafi Khalaf, 2017 : A New Dorid Nudibranch Sea Slug Species from the Sea of Khorfakkan, Gulf of Oman, Arab Sea, Indian Ocean. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin.

ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 149, May 2017, pp. 31-47. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://marine-life-uae.webs.com/diaphorodoris-olakhalafi & https://issuu.com/dr-normanalibassamkhalaf/docs/nudibranch_ola_khalaf & https://newsstand.joomag.com/en/gazelle-the-palestinian-biological-bulletin-issn0178-6288-number-149-may-2017-pp-31-47/0798719001494476364 Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa (2017). Whale vertebra from a stranded Whale in 1965 on the beach of Qidfa Village, Emirate of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 153, September 2017, pp. 1-6. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://cetacea.webs.com/whale-vertebrae-qidfa-uae Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa & Ola Mostafa Esmail Mostafa Khalaf (Photography) (2017). Trapania norakhalafae Khalaf, 2017: A New Dorid Nudibranch Sea Slug Species from the Dibba Sea, East Coast of the United Arab Emirates, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean. ‫ الساحل الشرقي لدولة اإلمارات‬، ‫ نوع جديد من بُزاق البحر عاري الخياشيم من بحر دِبا‬: 2017 ، ‫ترابانيا نورة خلفي خلف‬ ‫ ال ُمحيط الهندي‬، ‫ بحر العرب‬، ‫ خليج عُمان‬، ‫ العربية ال ُمتحدة‬. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin.

ISSN 0178-6288. Number 153, September 2017, pp. 7-30. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (In Arabic & English). http://nudibranch-uae.webs.com/trapanianorakhalafae Khalaf-von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam (September 2017). YouTube : Whale Skeletons at Muscat Natural History Museum, Oman. https://youtu.be/O_fSJdG0dfc Khalaf, Norman Ali (17.10.2017). First_record of a mother Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica) with juvenile in the Sea of Dubai-Jumeirah. Photos taken from a video published by UAE Dolphin Project. Facebook. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155685010874831&id=560519830&hc_ location=ufi Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa (November 2017). First Sighting Record of the Arabian Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae indica Gervais, 1883) in the Sea of Dubai, Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017

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United Arab Emirates, Arabian Gulf. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 155, November 2017, pp. 16-50. Published by Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Khalaf Department for Environmental Research and Media, National Research Center, University of Palestine, Gaza, State of Palestine. http://marine-life-uae2.webs.com/arabian-humpback-whale Khalaf-Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa & Ola Mostafa Esmail Mostafa Khalaf (Photography) (2018). Ola Khalaf’s Nudibranch Sea Slug (Diaphorodoris olakhalafi Khalaf, 2017). ‫بُزاق بحر عُال خلف عاري‬ )2017 ، ‫ الخياشيم ( ديافورودوريس عُال خلفي خلف‬. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 159, March 2018, pp. 1-22. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (In Arabic & English). http://nudibranch.webs.com/diaphorodorisolakhalafi Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa & Ola Mostafa Esmail Mostafa Khalaf (Photography) (2018). Presence of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata bissa Rüppell, 1835) at Lima Rock and Al-Dimaniyat Islands, Gulf of Oman, Sultanate of Oman. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 164, August 2018, pp. 113. Dubai and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. http://sea-turtles1.webs.com/hawksbill-sea-turtle Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Mostafa (2018). Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) Skeleton at the Natural History Museum in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Number 165, September 2018, pp.

1-31. Published by Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Khalaf Department for Environmental Research and Media, National Research Center, University of Palestine, Gaza, State of Palestine. http://cetacea.webs.com/

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Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 155 – November 2017