Dolphin spotters guide
Over 25 species of dolphins have been recorded in British and Irish waters, meaning that if you live near the coast, or are going on your summer holidays to the beach, you could have a chance of spotting dolphins if you are in the right place at the right time!
The common dolphin and the striped dolphin are the most common species you might see, but over the years the fishing industry has had a major impact on the types of species that live in the waters surrounding the British Isles, and their numbers have dropped dramatically...
The Sea Watch Foundation is a national charity working to conserve and protect whales, dolphins and porpoises around the British Isles by carrying out surveys and asking the public to report any sightings of dolphins so they can record the results and monitor the numbers of these creatures around the Birtish Isles. And that’s where you can help!
Dolphin watch sites are located along the entire coast of England, Wales, Scotland and the Channel Islands for you to spot these amazing creatures, and as part of National Whale And Dolphin Watch Week from the 5 to the 7 August, you can head along to one of these locations and try and point out a porpoise!
Head to the Sea Watch Foundation site HERE for all the tips on how to know if it’s a dolphin, whale or porpoise you might see jumping out of the water. Does it have a dorsal fin? (A sperm whale doesn't have one!) Are it’s fins curved? And how big is it? The Sea Watch Foundation has all the questions you need to ask yourself to identify any sightings, and information on all the events and locations for National Whale And Dolphin Watch Week!
Head to seawatchfoundation.org.uk and adoptadolphin.org.uk to find out all the ways you can get involved, gang!
Check out our other cool features:
- WATCH! New dinosaur discovery
- Creature feature - orang-utans
- Amazing Titanic exhibition
- WATCH! Funny Ratuki videos
- Creature feature - Dolphins
