Ultra-rare dolphins spotted swimming off the UK coast 'for the first time ever'

23 August 2023 , 15:29

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Rare hybrid dolphins have been spotted off the coast of Cornwall (Image: Jam Press/Leanne Sullivan/Sea Watch Foundation/AK Wildlife Cruises)

These rare dolphins were spotted off the British coast in what is believed to be a UK first.

Pictures show the animals , a mix of common dolphins and striped dolphins, swimming alongside a pod of common dolphins. Tourists and crew, on a boat operated by AK Wildlife Cruises and captained by Keith Leeves, spotted the creatures this week near Falmouth, Cornwall.

The company, based in Cornwall, reported the dolphins to the Sea Watch Foundation due to their unusual features. Sea Watch Foundation said: "The hybrids have a combination of features from both species. They have very distinct black and white stripes running across their flanks that are a distinct feature of the striped dolphin, but they have the distinct hourglass pattern and colouring of a common dolphin."

Prof Peter Evans, director of the foundation, said: “We don’t know for certain. I don’t know of another case in UK waters. Striped dolphins are still pretty rare anyway in our waters so a hybrid here would be even rarer.” The foundation said it had no other records and did not know of any other sightings.

The foundation hopes the interest around the sighting will raise awareness of the dolphin species in UK waters, which are facing a number of threats, including habitat loss, pollution and overfishing.

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But earlier this month, Mirror told how a baby dolphin died on a beach in Cornwall after being caught in the tide. Onlookers were visibly upset during a failed rescue attempt at St Ives harbour before the animal's body was reportedly taken away. Huge crowds of people surrounded the scene, with what was thought to be a young bottlenosed dolphin having lost its pod before becoming trapped and unable to swim over a sandbank.

A witness said it was "heartbreaking" and there were plenty of young children watching on who became distressed as they realised what had happened. They said the dolphin was "swimming round and round but not getting anywhere" before the tide went out and it became stranded.

Bradley Jolly