A stunning beluga whale, normally a native to colder climates near the Arctic, was spotted off the Irish coast during the annual National Whale & Dolphin Watch run by the Sea Watch Foundation.
The footage was captured by Gordon Watson, who spotted it near Dunseverick in Co. Antrim, and immediately recognised it as being something other than the usual sea life spotted in that region.
Their usual habitat is 2,000 miles north in the Barents Sea, and speaking to the BBC, Dr Peter Evans, director of the Sea Watch Foundation said that seeing a beluga whale in these parts was extremely rare: "It's the first record that we know for Northern Ireland and in fact there's only been about a dozen in 50 years for the whole of Britain and Ireland".
STOP THE PRESS!!A BELUGA WHALE has been filmed off Northern Ireland by Gordon Watson! Reported to us by Conor Ryan of Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust who spotted a post on facebook, and as soon as our director Peter Evans saw the video, he clearly saw it was a beluga.This sighting from yesterday is a fantastic addition to this year's National Whale & Dolphin Watch!
Posted by Sea Watch on Friday, 31 July 2015
He added that it could be as a result of falling sea temperatures, and that they have been unusually low this summer, so that could explain the creature's appearance.
