It’s not something you see every day! Dolphins play with Lone Harbor Porpoise off Cornish coast in ‘very unusual marine pairing’
- Dolphins and porpoises ‘played acrobatic games’ between Newquay and St Ives
- Experts suspect harbor porpoise has joined the dolphin pod
Bottlenose dolphins have been seen playing with a harbor porpoise off the Cornish coast, a wildlife charity has revealed.
The whale and dolphin charity ORCA documented two separate sightings of the ‘very unusual marine couple’, BBC reports.
Experts suspect that the porpoise has joined the pod of dolphins, the group in which they travel, hunt and socialize.
ORCA’s head of Science and Conservation said the pairing is a “really rare event” because dolphins tend to “aggressively attack” porpoises.
Bottlenose dolphins have been seen playing with a harbor porpoise off the Cornish coast, a wildlife charity has revealed (pictured)
The whale and dolphin charity ORCA documented two separate sightings of the ‘very unusual marine couple’ (pictured). Experts suspect that the porpoise has joined the pod of dolphins, the group in which they travel, hunt and socialize.
Terry Carne, an ORCA marine mammal surveyor, told the station he saw the dolphins and porpoise ‘enjoying acrobatic games’ together between Newquay and St Ives.
He initially thought that the porpoise was trying to escape the dolphins, assuming they had attacked it.
“But actually what I saw was the porpoise breaking away from the dolphins, initially jumping forward, before seeing it leap high into the air,” he recalled.
Lucy Babey, ORCA’s Director of Science and Conservation, added that porpoises tend to “walk away from dolphins” due to their aggressive behaviours.
He said that dolphins like to play with porpoises “like a football.”
ORCA have urged marine wildlife enthusiasts in Cornwall to keep an eye on the trio and see if they continue together (pictured). The charity wants marine enthusiasts to download its OceanWatchers app and record any future sightings.
ORCA have urged marine wildlife enthusiasts in Cornwall to keep an eye on the trio and see if they continue together.
The charity wants marine enthusiasts to download its OceanWatchers app and record any future sightings.
Experts say marine observers can tell the difference between dolphins and porpoises by the size of their beaks.
Dolphins have large, thick beaks, while porpoises have very small beaks.
