Bottlenoses enjoy a whale of a time

Published on Saturday 13 September 2008 19:36

THEY are the shiest of sea creatures, preferring the depths of the Arctic Ocean to Scotland's shallow coastal waters. The Northern Bottlenose rarely surfaces in sight of man. At least until last week.

Two of the whales have made a sudden and dramatic appearance in Mull's Loch Scridain. And, despite only have to surface once an hour or so for air, they seem to be spending much of their time in plain view of the shore.

The pair have been frollicking in the loch for days. One looks to be nearly 30 feet long, the other smaller.

"They are a very social species," said Suzannah Calderan of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, a charity which monitors sealife off Mull. "That's why they were nearly hunted to extinction. When one was injured, the others would stay with it."

Northern Bottlenoses might like each other's company; but they are not too keen on humans. Calderan fears their relatively unusual appearance off Mull could attract too many passing boats. "There really isn't much space in the loch," she said. "And they would find it difficult to get out."

The whales have been coming close to the shore, in depths of just 15ft. Normally they prefer to swim in at least 1000ft of water.

Cars on Mull's single-track roads have been stopping to watch them, causing mini traffic jams.