Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Suffolk Priority Species
The Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is a sleek, fast-swimming oceanic species most at home in warmer, deeper Atlantic waters. In Britain, it is recorded primarily as a vagrant, with strandings and offshore sightings concentrated on southern and western coasts. Records from the North Sea – including the Suffolk coastline – are uncommon and typically involve stranded individuals, often in poor condition. Any stranding on the Suffolk coast should be reported promptly to the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme. The species’ presence in Suffolk waters likely represents occasional wanderers from the Atlantic, rather than regular use of North Sea habitats. Image: © Alexandre Roux, Flickr.
Find out more: Whale and Dolphin Conservation, The Mammal Society, iNaturalist
Suffolk’s Priority Mammal Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
