Killer whale spotted off Scotland's west coast

A lone orca - or killer whale - has been spotted swimming off the west coast of Scotland.

A killer whale

The animal was seen in North Ayrshire waters off the coast of Arran on Tuesday afternoon.

The rare sighting in the Firth of Clyde was reported yesterday by the Clyde Marine Mammal Project.

The not-for-profit community organisation said that the killer whale was swimming in a westerly direction.

Rik Angelini, who spotted the animal, caught a glimpse of its dorsal fin “protruding from water”.

The sighting comes a month after a number of marine animals - including a whale - washed up dead on Irvine Beach.