\n Photographs taken off Berry Head show a common octopus wrapping its arms around the dorsal fin of a Risso\u2019s dolphin.\n<\/p>\n
\n The sighting comes as researchers investigate unusually high numbers of common octopuses around the South-West coastline.\n<\/p>\n
\n Photographs taken off Berry Head show a common octopus wrapping its arms around the dorsal fin of a Risso\u2019s dolphin. (Image: Jam Press\/Bill Coulson)\n<\/p>\n
\n MSc researcher at the University of Exeter, Josh Symes, said: “These photographs offer a fascinating glimpse into the feeding ecology of Risso’s dolphins and the changing marine environment around our coasts.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Risso’s dolphins are closely associated with cephalopods, and sightings like this help us understand how they are responding to changing prey availability.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The images also highlight the value of citizen science, as observations from volunteers are helping us build a clearer picture of marine wildlife across the Southwest.”\n<\/p>\n
\n While common octopuses are native to UK waters, they are typically rare. (Image: Jam Press\/Bill Coulson)\n<\/p>\n
Southwest coast experiencing largest Octopus bloom in 75 years<\/p>\n
\n The encounter comes amid reports of the largest octopus bloom in at least 75 years along the southwest coastline.\n<\/p>\n
\n While common octopuses are native to UK waters, they are typically rare.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Marine Biological Association has described the 2025 bloom as exceptional in both size and spread.\n<\/p>\n
\n Reports suggest the octopus surge may have originated from breeding grounds near the Channel Islands and northern France.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ocean currents are believed to have carried juvenile octopuses into UK waters.\n<\/p>\n
\n Researchers are now exploring whether the octopus boom is providing new feeding opportunities for Risso\u2019s dolphins, who primarily feed on squid and other cephalopods.\n<\/p>\n
\n Senior research fellow at the Marine Biological Association, Dr Bryce Stewart, said: “Observations of interactions between Risso’s dolphins and common octopus help to demonstrate how shifts in the abundance of a species can ripple through the wider ecosystem.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It’s a powerful reminder of how interconnected our marine environment is and why we need to continue studying it.”\n<\/p>\n
What has caused the large octopus bloom?<\/p>\n
\n Warmer sea temperatures are thought to have played a major role in the bloom, raising concerns that similar events could become more frequent as the climate continues to change.\n<\/p>\n
\n The South-West Marine Ecosystems State of South-West Seas in 2025 Report described the 2025 common octopus \u2018outburst\u2019 as \u2018outstanding\u2019 and noted that increased numbers had become a significant feature of the Southwest marine food web.\n<\/p>\n
\n The report also recorded a continuing upward trend in effort-corrected Risso\u2019s dolphin sightings, likely linked to higher numbers of cephalopods such as cuttlefish and octopus in coastal waters.\n<\/p>\n
\n These changes are part of broader environmental shifts in the region, including warming seas, marine heatwaves, and altered distributions of marine species.\n<\/p>\n
\n Recent research led by Nicola Hodgins, a visiting fellow at the University of Exeter and member of the marine charity Mara, found that Risso\u2019s dolphins around the British Isles form a single genetically distinct population.\n<\/p>\n
\n Researchers hope that continued monitoring of both species will help improve conservation efforts and provide a deeper understanding of how marine life is adapting to environmental change in UK waters.\n<\/p>\n
\n Have you spotted any dolphins or octopuses off the Devon coast recently? Let us know in the poll above or in the comments below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photographs taken off Berry Head show a common octopus wrapping its arms around the dorsal fin of a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":753296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-753295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/753296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=753295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=753295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}