Risso’s Dolphins

Regular Oakeley Arms Hotel  blog readers might remember our post a few months ago about the beautiful Cardigan Bay dolphins (click here to read the post). Thousands of these lovely creatures make the waters of Cardigan Bay their home during the summer months, but last week, news broke that a very special species of dolphin has been spotted here.

The rarely seen and very shy Risso’s Dolphin (named after a French naturalist called Antoine Risso) have been spotted along the coast of the Llyn Peninsula, not far from the Oakeley Arms. Experts have predicted that up to 100 of them are feeding and living in the warm waters of the bay this summer.

They are distinguishable from the usual bottle-nose dolphins that are spotted here because they have a blunt nose and are usually a little larger (adults can grow to be a whopping 4m long). They can dive to depths of up to 1,000 ft (300m) and stay underwater for over half an hour!

Image by Michael L. Baird via Wiki Commons

Not much is known about these graceful creatures, so the fact that a population has been spotted here on the north Welsh coast is really important to help researchers and marine scientists understand the dolphins, and their habits, a little better.

We’ve long known that the coastline of Cardigan Bay is a great place to live and visit – and now it seems the Risso dolphins agree too!

If you’d like to arrange a trip to see the dolphins of Cardigan Bay (although the Risso dolphins are very shy so you may not be able to see them), check with the Porthmadog TIC ([email protected] or 01766 512981) for details of the nearest tours and excursions.

And to find out more about the work of the Sea Watch Foundation, click here.

You can read the full story of the Cardigan Bay Risso Dolphins on the BBC website.