A rare sighting of a Bryde’s whale was recorded off the coast of Fujairah.
The video was captured by Fatma Al Hantoobi, head of the environment and reserve department at Dibba Municipality.
The recording was shared by the Fujairah Whale Project on April 29.
The Bryde's whale, part of the baleen species, is considered one of the “great whales”. It belongs to the same family as the blue and humpback whales.
In the 15-second clip, the animal appears to be feeding on fish, as it emerges from the water.
"At the beginning of the clip it looks like the whale is lunge feeding," Elayn Looker, marine biologist at the Five Oceans Environmental Services in Oman, and part of the Fujairah Whale Project team, told The National.
With less boats and fishing vessels on the waters at the moment due to the Covid-19 crisis, the whales have become more curious.
“It appears on the surface with its mouth open.
“It’s hard to hazard a guess regarding the size or age of this particular mammal as there is no scale to measure it against, but it appears as though there is a second dorsal fin close by.
“It could be a mother and calf, but I can’t fully confirm that.”
Bryde’s whales, named after Johan Bryde, a Norwegian man who built the first whaling stations in South Africa in the early 20th century, eats an estimated 630kg of food per day. Interestingly, the name is pronounced as "broodus".
They can reach up to 55 feet long and can weigh about 40,000kg.
Their diet mainly consists of krill, shrimp and a variety of schooling fish, including herring, mackerel and sardines.
They use different methods to feed, including skimming the surface, lugeing, and creating bubble nets.
“There are two types of whales; toothed or baleen, which are the non-toothed variety,” said Ms Looker.
“Bryde's whales have baleen plates inside their mouth, which act like sieves.
"The baleen plates are made up of keratin, the same fibrous structure as human hair.
“When they feed, they gulp in the water, close their mouth and lift up their tongue to catch their prey while filtering out the excess seawater."
The Fujairah Whale Project was set up in 2017 with the aim to document any “cetacean”, the collective term for whales and dolphins, in local waters.
While Bryde's whales have probably been living within the gulf for many years, Ms Looker said sightings are rare as they prefer quieter waters.
"When we have been out conducting our own surveys via boat and helicopter observation, we have only ever spotted dolphins," she said.
“With less boats and fishing vessels on the waters at the moment due to the Covid-19 crisis, the whales have become more curious.”
“Usually, they tend to stay away as the loud noise from vessels can impact their communication streams."
Conservationists have said a lack of human activity and noise would have encouraged marine life to approach the shore.
On Sunday, bottlenose dolphins were spotted off the Dubai shoreline for what is believed to be the first time since 2013.
In January, Bryde’s whales were spotted off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The videos were shared by Abu Dhabi Environment Agency on its Instagram account.
All Bryde’s whales are protected under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act, which was passed by the US Congress in 1972.
In 2019, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US listed the Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
Poacher
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The%20specs
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CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20QUALIFIER%2C%20ZIMBABWE%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
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