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Whale spotted off Gnejna coast
Several whale and dolphin species inhabit the Mediterranean but the larger cetaceans are rarely seen around Malta
A screengrab from footage by local fishermen shows spray from the whale's blowhole as it takes a breath
Local fishermen came upon an unusual visitor yesterday, about 10 miles off the coast of Gnejna, and filmed the brief encounter.
The whale, which is estimated to be around 30 feet, appeared to be calmly resting at the surface and did not seem perturbed by the boat. The footage ends as the boat moves off.
Great experience today while fishing 10 miles off Gnejna bay.An encounter with a 30 foot whale. SUPER
Posted by James Buttigieg on Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Twenty-four species of cetaceans occur or have occurred in various degrees of abundance in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Black Sea. However, the species that are represented by regularly occurring, resident populations are limited eleven in the Mediterranean Sea: fin whales, sperm whales, Cuvier's beaked whales, orcas (limited to a small population found in the Strait of Gibraltar), long-finned pilot whales, Risso's dolphins, rough-toothed dolphins, common bottlenose dolphins, striped dolphins, short-beaked common dolphins, and harbour porpoises (limited to portions of the Northern Aegean Sea).
