Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis

The Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is one of the world’s most abundant cetaceans, its striking hourglass flank pattern of yellow and grey making it one of the more distinctively marked species. In British waters, it is most frequently encountered off the south-west coast of England and in the Celtic Sea, where large, fast-moving groups are regularly recorded. Sightings in the North Sea – including off the Suffolk coast – are relatively uncommon and tend to involve smaller numbers, often individuals or small groups that have moved north and east from their core Atlantic range. Strandings on the Suffolk coastline are periodically recorded, and any occurrence should be reported to the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme. Image: © Natural England/Rebecca Walker, Flickr.

Find out more: Whale and Dolphin Conservation, The Mammal Society, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, iNaturalist