Local fishermen were stunned to discover a dead whale, measuring an impressive 35 metres, off the coast of Ras Al Khaimah on Thursday morning.
Nukhadha Humaid Al Zaabi came across the giant marine mammal during his daily fishing trip around 8 am, approximately 8km from Al Jazeera Al Hamra Creek. Al Zaabi captured images and videos of the whale, speculating that its death might have resulted from natural causes due to age, a collision with a vessel, or perhaps an encounter with a killer whale.
Dr. Saif Mohammed Al Ghais, Director-General of the Environment Protection and Development Authority (Epda) in the emirate, affirmed that the whale had been observed three days earlier, roughly 30km from its current location. Over the days, it has been moving closer to the shore.
While authorities are currently assessing the whale’s condition, fishermen have been cautioned about its presence in the waters. Al Ghais noted that the next steps would be determined once the whale carcass reaches the coast.
Though initially identified as a baleen whale, Dr. Al Ghais mentioned that due to the decomposing state, a conclusive identification could not be made. Whales generally fall into two categories: toothed and baleen, the latter possessing fibrous ‘combs’ instead of teeth and including species like humpbacks and blue whales.