Rare hybrid dolphins have been spotted off the coast of Cornwall in what is thought to be a UK first.
The pair of cetaceans, seen in Falmouth, are a cross between a common dolphin and a striped dolphin.
Tourists and crew on a boat operated by AK Wildlife Cruises spotted the hybrid dolphins swimming with a pod of common dolphins.
Those on the crew reported the dolphins to the Sea Watch Foundation due to their unusual features, which are a combination from both species; while they have the signature black-and-white stripes of a striped dolphin, they also have the colouring of a common dolphin.
While cetacean species interbreed regularly, with 20% of all cetacean species hybridising, it is very rare to see it between these two species, and the Sea Watch Foundation believes it to be a UK first. The foundation said it commonly saw hybridisation between bottlenose dolphins and Risso’s dolphins, as well as between bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales.
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.
Striped dolphins are only occasionally seen in UK waters. They are common in the Mediterranean and off the Atlantic seaboard of France and the Iberian peninsula, and are sometimes seen off the Atlantic coasts of Britain and Ireland, and occasionally as far north as Scotland. The species most commonly seen around the UK coast are bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises.
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.
