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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Dolphins suspected in whale attack off Skye | Dolphins suspected in whale attack off Skye |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Marine wildlife experts believe dolphins attacked a young pilot whale which was found stranded on a beach in Skye. | Marine wildlife experts believe dolphins attacked a young pilot whale which was found stranded on a beach in Skye. |
| Vets had to put down the badly injured three-year-old female calf, which was discovered on Tuesday at Dunvegan. | Vets had to put down the badly injured three-year-old female calf, which was discovered on Tuesday at Dunvegan. |
| Teeth marks were found on the whale's body, flippers and dorsal fin. | Teeth marks were found on the whale's body, flippers and dorsal fin. |
| The Scottish Marine Animals Stranding Scheme and Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) suspect the calf was attacked by bottlenose dolphins. | |
| HWDT said it was awaiting a final report following a post-mortem examination of the whale. | |
| Dr Conor Ryan, the trust's sightings and strandings officer, said: "If indeed bottlenose dolphins were to blame, this is only the second such case that we are aware of in the UK. | |
| "Pilot whales often strand dead and occasionally alive on our coasts, but rarely with these types of injuries." | |
| 'Dark side' | |
| Scotland is home to the world's most northerly resident population of bottlenose dolphins. | Scotland is home to the world's most northerly resident population of bottlenose dolphins. |
| On the east coast, they feed and breed the Moray Firth and North Sea. | On the east coast, they feed and breed the Moray Firth and North Sea. |
| Charlie Phillips, a Whale and Dolphin Conservation field officer, said the injuries may have been caused while the dolphins and whale were playing, or inflicted in an act of aggression. | Charlie Phillips, a Whale and Dolphin Conservation field officer, said the injuries may have been caused while the dolphins and whale were playing, or inflicted in an act of aggression. |
| He said: "Dolphins and whales do interact in the marine environment and this is part and parcel of their natural behaviour. | He said: "Dolphins and whales do interact in the marine environment and this is part and parcel of their natural behaviour. |
| "Dolphins are wonderful creatures but people should remember that they are not these fluffy cartoon characters, they have a dark side too." | "Dolphins are wonderful creatures but people should remember that they are not these fluffy cartoon characters, they have a dark side too." |
| Mr Phillips said the spacing between the tooth marks on the whale had helped the experts to tell that they had been made by bottlenose dolphins. | Mr Phillips said the spacing between the tooth marks on the whale had helped the experts to tell that they had been made by bottlenose dolphins. |
| Medium-sized gaps indicate bottlenoses, while larger spaces are left by orca and smaller ones by common dolphin. | Medium-sized gaps indicate bottlenoses, while larger spaces are left by orca and smaller ones by common dolphin. |