Marine specialists are perplexed by seal attacks on common dolphins and believe one group of seals could be behind the killings
Dolphins are washing up dead along the shore in west Wales and in Devon (Image: Robin Morrison / SWNS)
A dolphin has been attacked and killed by a grey seal for the first time in Welsh waters, it has been reported. Marine experts have been left baffled by seal attacks on common dolphins not just off the coast of Wales but along the North Devon coast too.
Specialists suspect that it might be a small group of grey seals responsible for these gruesome incidents, but the reason remains unclear. In recent months, there have been two separate confirmed instances of grey seals killing common dolphins on the North Devon shoreline.
Whilst grey seals have occasionally been known to hunt and kill harbour porpoises at other UK coasts, there have been no previous reports of them killing the larger and faster common dolphins. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
Experts theorise that these predatory seals are operating within the Bristol Channel, reports Devon Live. Recorded incidents have risen in other UK areas including Wales and Ireland.
Earlier this week, a common dolphin on Newgale beach, Pembrokeshire was confirmed to have died following an attack from a grey seal. Last year, a grey seal was captured on film killing a common dolphin around the Irish coastline.
The situation is currently under investigation by Marine Environmental Monitoring in Wales.
A spokesperson stated: “It potentially is only a small population of grey seals that can capture and kill common dolphins and they are operating between North Devon and Welsh coastline.
“It isn’t clear why the grey seals population now see common dolphin as prey, but we do know that over the last ten years there has been a huge population increase of common dolphins with them now being the most common cetacean around the Welsh coastline taking over from the harbour porpoise.”
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