Orca whales: Two killer whales known to reside in Scotland spotted just off the Cornish coast

Two Orcas known to reside in waters off the west coast of Scotland have been spotted just off the Cornish coast.

The Orcas otherwise known as Killer Whales, were first spotted in the water off the Minack Theatre in west Cornwall on Wednesday, May 5, at around 4.30pm, but experts weren’t 100 per cent sure whether they were Orcas, or the more common and easily mistaken Risso’s dolphins.

After some investigation the marine recording project, run by Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas Team, confirmed that not only were the mammals Orcas, they were identified as John Coe and Aquarius – two males from the inshore population which are monitored long-term and found just off the west coast of Scotland.

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This spot may be the first record of the UK’s only resident population of Orcas travelling so far south, making it a very exciting discovery.

These particular whales haven’t been sighted in some time either which adds to the excitement within the marine mammal enthusiast community.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust runs a number of marine projects to monitor the environment and encourage others to engage with amazing discoveries such as this one.

Orcas tend to travel long distances in short periods of time so it is unlikely that they will remain in the Cornwall area for more than a day.

An Orca spotted in the River Clyde.An Orca spotted in the River Clyde.
An Orca spotted in the River Clyde.

While it is difficult to track where the animals have been and where they will go, the Seaquesters team will be watching carefully from the cliffs for another potential sighting in the area over the next few days.

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