Scientific records document 5 species of whales in Egypt’s Red Sea

The recent circulation of videos showing a massive whale near Umm Qamar Island, north of Hurghada, has renewed interest in what types of whales inhabit the Red Sea—a range stretching from the Gulf of Aqaba in the north, past Hurghada, Safaga, and Quseir, down to the areas of Shalateen and Abu Fandira in the south.

Questions have arisen regarding the nature of their presence, the species previously observed, and whether the Red Sea serves as a migratory corridor, a foraging ground, or merely a temporary stopover for them.

The Red Sea Protected Areas Authority explained that this incident is significant because it aligns with existing scientific records documenting various whale species in the Egyptian Red Sea—some of which appear repeatedly in specific locations, while others have only been sighted on rare occasions.

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Five major species

Scientific records indicate the presence of five whale species in the Egyptian waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba – including the humpback whale, Bryde’s whale, Omura’s whale, the pygmy blue whale, and the killer whale, also known as the orca.

The humpback whale stands out as one of the species that has particularly captured the interest of both maritime professionals and researchers.

Sightings were recorded in various locations during the years 2006, 2009, 2011, 2016, and 2021.

Humpback whales are known for behaviors such as breaching—leaping above the water’s surface—and producing complex vocalizations. They also undertake long seasonal migrations between their feeding and breeding grounds.

Their appearance in the Red Sea is a scientifically significant event, warranting the documentation of the time and location of the sighting, as well as prevailing environmental conditions.

There are both historical and relatively recent records of the Bryde’s Whale in the Red Sea, dating back to 1950, 2008, 2009, and 2012.

This species belongs to the group of baleen whales, which feed by filtering small marine organisms and fish from the water using baleen plates—located inside the mouth—instead of teeth.

The Omura’s whale is another species whose sightings hold particular scientific significance. Its appearance near Safaga in 2009 drew considerable interest from researchers, given the rarity of such records in the region. Its presence in the Red Sea has prompted scientific questions regarding the species’ distribution range and migratory movements.

Records also document the appearance of a pygmy blue whale near Taba, in the Gulf of Aqaba, in 2018—a finding that underscores the importance of the northern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba as areas warranting further monitoring and study.

Rare sightings

Additionally, records include an instance involving an orca (killer whale) that stranded near the Abu Galum area in South Sinai in 2017.

Such incidents highlight the importance of documenting marine mammal occurrences—whether through live sightings or cases of stranding and mortality—as they provide valuable data on species distribution, as well as their health and environmental status.

Historical records and references point to even earlier accounts of whales in the Red Sea, dating back to 1878 and 1893.

This indicates that the presence of these creatures in the region is not a new phenomenon, but rather one that requires a comprehensive scientific analysis—linking historical records with modern-day observations.

A specialized scientific review titled “Cetaceans of the Red Sea”—published as part of the technical series for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals—confirms that 16 species of cetaceans have been recorded in the Red Sea, including three species of baleen whales and 13 species of dolphins and toothed whales.

The Director General of the Red Sea Protected Areas, Ahmed Ghallab, noted that some of these whale species are regularly present in the Red Sea, while others appear only intermittently as transient visitors from the Indian Ocean.

And the Director of the Northern Islands Protected Area, Abdallah Abed, emphasized that these frequent yet rare whale sightings necessitate the development of a more comprehensive national system for monitoring marine mammals in the Red Sea.

This would involve establishing a unified database to record the locations and dates of whale and dolphin sightings, as well as the species identified, he said.

The database would also archive photographs, video footage, and relevant data for each encounter, which would then be subject to specialized scientific review.