Striped dolphin
Very similar to the common dolphin but have a distinctive stripe down their sides.
Species Category: Cetacean
There is four main species of cetacean that live around the Welsh coastline year around. They are the harbour porpoise, common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin and Riss’s dolphin. On top of those there is another two species that are reported to us almost every year. They are the striped dolphin and the minke whale. There is many of species that get reported to us but are fare rarer in our waters, like one of the worlds deepest diving whales the Cuvier’s beaked whale or the second largest whale the fin whale.
Minke Whale
Grow to around 8m in length
Risso’s dolphin
The Risso’s dolphin are mostly seen around the Isle of Anglesey coastline but have been seen up and down Cardigan Bay. They grow to around 3.5m and have a distinctive look of a smile. Risso’s start off grey/ olive brown but as they get older will turn whiter in appearance.
Bottlenose dolphin
The bottlenose dolphin is one of the most widely known about cetaceans in our water. We believe there is over 300 within Cardigan Bay with family units regularly being seen up and down our coastline. The bottlenose dolphin grows to over 3.5m and can weigh over ½ a tonne when fully grown. Organisations that monitor the bottlenose dolphins have got records going back over 60 years on some individuals. The bottlenose dolphin is highly intelligent and an apex predator with no natural threats around our coastline.
Short-beaked common dolphin
The short beaked common dolphin is the second most common cetacean in our waters, with their numbers greatly increasing over the last ten years to the point they will soon become the most common cetacean. The common dolphin grows to just over 2m in length and live for around 40 years. The common dolphin has a distinctive hourglass pattern on its side.
Harbour porpoise
The harbour porpoise is the smallest cetacean that we have in the waters around the Welsh coast with them growing to around 1.5m. They are also one of the most common cetaceans around our coastline with large pods being seen. Due to their rounded noes instead of a beak, they regularly get reported to us as baby orca. They feed on smaller fish and crustaceans. Unfortunately, they face many challengers with them only living for around 10 to 15 years. They have one of the highest parasitical burdens out of the cetaceans we see around our coast. They also are regularly killed by other marine animals such as the bottlenose dolphin and grey seals.