3 generations of dolphins spotted off Israeli coast in rare sighting

The Star

2 days ago

JERUSALEM, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Israeli marine researchers have documented a rare sighting of three generations of bottlenose dolphins swimming together in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tel Aviv, the University of Haifa said in a statement on Wednesday.
The group included a grandmother, her daughter, and a newborn calf -- all belonging to the Tursiops truncatus species, commonly known as the bottlenose dolphin.
The sighting was captured during a routine weekly marine survey, part of a long-running study by the university's Mediterranean research station in partnership with Delphis, a non-profit organization focused on marine mammal conservation.
According to the researchers, it is the first time in 25 years of ongoing observation that a three-generation dolphin family has been photographed together in Israeli waters.
The common bottlenose dolphin is the most frequently sighted species along Israel's coastline, with a local population estimated at around 360. While not classified as endangered, researchers say consistent monitoring remains critical.
The grandmother dolphin, already familiar to the team, was previously recorded with calves in 2018 and 2021, underscoring the continuity of reproductive behavior in this small coastal population.
Researchers noted that relatively few calves are identified after separating from their mothers, making the latest sighting a rare and valuable contribution to the long-term dataset.