We’ve had more than our fair share of rare wildlife sightings in the UK in recent months, from bottleneck dolphins in Yorkshire to hornets and barn owls in London. And now yet another uncommon animal has been seen in the country – this time off the coast of Cornwall.
The animals in question were a cross between the common and striped varieties of dolphin, which were spotted swimming alongside a pod of common dolphins near Falmouth.
Common/striped hybrid dolphins are identified by the distinct black and white stripes that run across their flanks (which comes from the striped dolphin in them) and their common dolphin colouring, according to the Sea Watch Foundation. The foundation told the Guardian that sightings of the hybrids are exceptionally rare – and that this is the first official record of them being in UK waters.
The foundation hopes more of these rare sightings will eventually 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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