Experts are baffled after “bloodthirsty” seals began killing and eating dolphins off the British coast.
Marine specialists believe the shocking behaviour could be limited to a single killer family or population.
And they don’t know why it’s happening.
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Grey seal attacks on smaller porpoises have been recorded before but never on much larger and heavier common dolphins.
Now a growing number of cases is being reported off Devon, west Wales and the Irish Sea.
The latest victim was discovered at Newgale beach, Pembrokeshire.
The female common dolphin, over six-feet long, was found with horrific injuries.
Marine Environmental Monitoring experts are investigating, as reported by Need To Know.
A spokesperson said: “This week has seen the first reported case of a grey seal killing of a short beaked common dolphin in Wales.
“Grey seals are known on occasions to hunt and kill harbour porpoises around the Welsh coastline.
“But we have never had a report of them killing common dolphins which are a lot bigger and faster than the harbour porpoise.
“Earlier this week we received a report of a common dolphin on Newgale beach, Pembrokeshire.
“The initial pictures showed that the animal had suffered massive injuries that was consistent with what we see when a harbour porpoise has been attacked and killed by grey seals.
“We were able to collect the common dolphin that was a adult female at 1.84m in length.
“On further examining the animal it showed signs of bite marks on the pectoral fins and around the edges of the torn blubber which are consistent with grey seal bite marks.
“There has been recorded cases in other parts of the UK of grey seals killing common dolphins.
“But this is the first around the Welsh coastline.
“Last year a grey seal was seen killing a common dolphin around the Irish coastline.
“And in recent months there has been two separate confirmed reports on the north Devon coastline of grey seals killing common dolphins which was investigated by the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.
“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 the 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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A common Dolphin, Howth Head, Co. Dublin, after being attacked. (Jam Press/Irish Whale and Dolphin Group/Dave O’Connor)
