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Today I saw a dolphin. In the River Clyde, no less. There are no words for how cool this was.
I don't know my dolphin species at all, so I took careful note of what I could see and checked identification guides when I got home. I'm also writing it down here because it was so amazing.
( There's quite a lot more under this cut. )
A short summary of the identifying features would be a large, very curved fin on a good-sized animal, dark with no markings visible on the side, a light area on the top of the back, rough texture and a blunt snout.
Based on this and with liberal help from both T.E.P. and online identification guides, I'd say a Risso's dolphin is most likely. They're not an estuarine or riparine species at all, so it's very out of place indeed, but on the other hand they are found where the Clyde ends up (that being the Irish Sea.) The BBC's story agrees with this identification.
I saw a dolphin!
I don't know my dolphin species at all, so I took careful note of what I could see and checked identification guides when I got home. I'm also writing it down here because it was so amazing.
( There's quite a lot more under this cut. )
A short summary of the identifying features would be a large, very curved fin on a good-sized animal, dark with no markings visible on the side, a light area on the top of the back, rough texture and a blunt snout.
Based on this and with liberal help from both T.E.P. and online identification guides, I'd say a Risso's dolphin is most likely. They're not an estuarine or riparine species at all, so it's very out of place indeed, but on the other hand they are found where the Clyde ends up (that being the Irish Sea.) The BBC's story agrees with this identification.
I saw a dolphin!
