Playful dolphins spotted off Israel’s shores 

Particularly moving footage was seen during a routine tour of the Nature and Parks Authority inspectors in Rishon LeZion. Three dolphins were spotted playing about eight kilometers west of the coast of Rishon Lezion, after an unfortunate series of deaths of superpredators on the coast of Israel.

Three dolphins of the common dolphin species, including two known to researchers, were spotted about eight kilometers west of the coast of Rishon Lezion during a tour by inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority.

Guy Levian, Director of the Marine Unit Area at the Nature and Parks Authority: "During a supervised cruise by the marine unit's inspectors at a distance of 2.5 miles off the coast of Rishon Lezion after a trawl ship, three dolphins were suddenly spotted. The three played between the waves for a few minutes and continued on their way."

Researchers from Delphis and the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station of the Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa have identified two of the dolphins seen on Thursday (February 27). Kim Kobo of the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station identified the dolphins known as "Hawks" and "Shlomi" by comparing the photographs of their dorsal fins to the images in the database. "The dolphin's dorsal fin is an excellent means of identification, just like the human fingerprint," Delphis researchers noted.

Shlomi and Hawks were most recently spotted on November 2, 2024, during a dolphin survey conducted by Delphis in cooperation with the Morris Kahn station, as part of a long-term study of local dolphin populations.