The stranding of a dolphin on the shores of Hengam Island in the Persian Gulf has biologists scratching their heads. At the time of discovery on January 14, the animal had been dead for three days, Mehr News Agency quoted an official at the Department of Environment in Hormozgan Province as saying. While experts have to determine the precise cause of death, malnutrition is said to be the most likely cause. The creature is believed to be an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, whose protection status, despite being listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is unclear due to deficient data. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin has a wide, strong trunk and a curved dorsal fin. Its belly is usually white to light grey. Darker grey are the back and the flanks. Adult males are usually longer and heavier than females. They are frequently seen around the islands of Qeshm, Hengam and Larak. They feed on anchovies, but overfishing has depleted anchovy populations, depriving the dolphins of their main source of nutrition.
