Risso’s dolphins around the British Isles are part of a single population and are genetically distinct from those elsewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, new research shows.
Scientists studied the DNA of stranded dolphins in England, Scotland and Wales from1992 to 2016 and said there were “no significant genetic differences” between the animals.
The dolphins have tall dorsal fins and distinctive scarring on their grey bodies and more sightings have been recorded off Cornwall, attracted by food, it is thought.
Nicola Hodgins, from marine charity Mara and a visiting fellow at the University of Exeter, said skin and tissue samples from the dolphins provided “an amazing amount of information”.