Dugong

Photo: Daniel Silva Leite · CC BY-NC

The waters around Delma Island support one of the largest dugong populations in the Arabian Gulf, with individuals and mother-calf pairs regularly sighted grazing on the extensive Halophila seagrass beds in the shallows. Dugongs are slow-reproducing mammals — females give birth to a single calf after a 13-month gestation and nurse for up to 18 months — making each individual ecologically precious. The UAE population is globally significant, as the Gulf hosts one of the world's two remaining substantial dugong populations alongside those around Australia.