Author(s)

Abdel Fattah N. Abd Rabou^1,2*, Kamal E. Elkahlout¹, Kamal J. Elnabris^1,2, Adel J. Attallah³, Jehad Y. Salah³, Mohammed A. Aboutair³, Waleed M. Thabit³, Sahar K. Serri³, Hassan G. Abu Hatab³, Sameeh M. Awadalah^2,3, Wajdi M. Saqallah^2,3, Mokhles S. Alhawajri², Tariq K. Al-Sammak², Bashar S. Jarayseh⁴, Sinaa A. Ababsa⁵, Daoud I. Al-Hali⁶, Aysha A. Rafeea⁷, Doaa S. Ghattas⁷, Huda E. Abu Amra⁸, Israa M. Jaber¹, Nedal A. Fayyad¹, Ashraf A. Shafei¹, Inas A. Abd Rabou⁹, Othman A. Abd Rabou¹⁰, Mohammed A. Abd Rabou¹¹, Mazen T. Abualtayef¹², Mohammed R. Al-Agha^2,13, Yousif K. Ibrahim¹⁴, Rimel M. Benmessaoud¹⁵, Mourad M. Cherif¹⁶, Hashem A. Madkour¹⁷

¹Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
²Department of Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
³Directorate General of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁴Environmental Education Center, Beit Jala, Palestine.
⁵Wildlife Documenter and Photographer, Kafr Kanna, Palestine.
⁶Qimmah Secondary School, Jerusalem, Palestine.
⁷Kamal Al-Ohood Primary School for Girls, North Gaza Education Directorate, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁸Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Al-Aqsa University, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁹Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, University College of Applied Sciences, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹⁰Department of Journalism and Media, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹¹Department of GIS, University College of Applied Sciences, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹²Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine.
¹³Department of Environment and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine.
¹⁴Water and Environment Quality Authority, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
¹⁵National Institute of Agronomy of Tunisia, Tunis, Tunisia.
¹⁶National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies (INSTM), La Goulette Port, Tunis, Tunisia.
¹⁷National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Hurghada, Egypt.

The Mediterranean Sea is home to an interesting biodiversity. The current cumulative and descriptive study aims to enumerate some relatively large marine mammals, reptiles, and fishes that have been spotted, caught, by-caught, or stranded on the coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, which extends about 42 km along the Mediterranean Sea. This 20-year study from 2003 to 2022 relied much on frequent field visits, meetings, and discussions with stakeholders, following local media sites and social media pages, and photography. The study recorded at least 26 giants or relatively large marine organisms on the Mediterranean coast of the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Certainly, the coming years may bring other marine organisms of relatively large sizes. Marine mammals included three species of cetaceans with the Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) being the largest mammal and even the largest animal ever recorded in this study. Marine reptiles included three species of sea turtles, the largest of which is the Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), which is in fact the world’s largest sea turtle. The bony fishes were represented by ten species, the largest of which was the Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola), which is the largest bony fish in the world. The cartilaginous fishes included ten species with the largest specimens encountered were the Shortfin Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), Bluntnose Sixgill Shark (Hexanchus griseus), Scalloped Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna lewini), and Giant Devil Ray (Mobula mobular). Seabirds were not included in the study. The Alexandria Pompano (Alectis alexandrinus) and the Silver-Cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus), which are bony fishes, appear to be the relatively smallest marine organisms recorded here. In conclusion, the role of the various parties must be coordinated to ensure the sustainability of human activities and their compatibility with the task of conserving local marine biota, including the gigantic or relatively large ones.

Mediterranean Sea, Marine Biodiversity, Marine Mammals, Sea Turtles, Bony Fishes, Cartilaginous Fishes, Gaza Strip, Palestine

Abd Rabou, A. , Elkahlout, K. , Elnabris, K. , Attallah, A. , Salah, J. , Aboutair, M. , Thabit, W. , Serri, S. , Abu Hatab, H. , Awadalah, S. , Saqallah, W. , Alhawajri, M. , Al-Sammak, T. , Jarayseh, B. , Ababsa, S. , Al-Hali, D. , Rafeea, A. , Ghattas, D. , Abu Amra, H. , Jaber, I. , Fayyad, N. , Shafei, A. , Abd Rabou, I. , Abd Rabou, O. , Abd Rabou, M. , Abualtayef, M. , Al-Agha, M. , Ibrahim, Y. , Benmessaoud, R. , Cherif, M. and Madkour, H. (2023) An Inventory of Some Relatively Large Marine Mammals, Reptiles, and Fishes Sighted, Caught, By-Caught, or Stranded in the Mediterranean Coast of the Gaza Strip-Palestine. Open Journal of Ecology, 13, 119-153. doi: 10.4236/oje.2023.132010.