In an Israeli first, researchers snap pix of 3 generations of dolphins off Tel Aviv coast
‘It’s rare’ to document dolphin families together, says University of Haifa researcher; 396 documented bottlenose dolphins live along Israeli coastline
Reporter at The Times of Israel
For the first time in Israel, researchers captured images of three generations of bottlenose dolphins swimming together off the coast of Tel Aviv on Sunday.
The “grandmother” dolphin, known as Hooks, was photographed with her daughter and her daughter’s calf.
Meytal Markovich, a volunteer of the environmental nonprofit Delphis Association and a University of Haifa student, took the photographs of the three dolphins. She then showed the pictures to Kim Kobo, 32, a researcher at the Maurice Kahn Marine Research Station at the Czerny School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa.
Kobo said she was “very excited” when she recognized Hooks and her daughter from the scars on their dorsal fins.
“We know that female dolphins help one another with their calves, but it is very rare to see the generations all together,” Kobo told The Times of Israel.
The population of bottlenose dolphins inhabits the entire coastline of Israel, and they are mainly observed between bottom depths of 30-60 meters (100-200 ft).
Dr. Aviad Sheinin, director of the Delphis Dolphin and Sea Center and head of the Apex Marine Predator Lab at the University of Haifa’s marine research center, has led a long-term study to monitor dolphin populations off the coast of Israel for the past 25 years.
The team of researchers has been collecting data on dolphins since 2005. Researchers have documented 396 dolphins in a long-range study.
Photographs of the dolphins, with their nicknames, appear on the research station’s website.
Local dolphins are relatively small, and their diet is mainly composed of fish. They are not considered to be in danger of extinction.
Many of the marine surveys are done with researchers from the university in conjunction with Delphis volunteers who have undergone special training as marine surveyors.
The Times of Israel Community.