A postmortem is being carried out on a juvenile striped dolphin which was found stranded near the Claddagh in Galway Bay yesterday.
The mammal was found on the shoreline near the Swamp by the Claddagh close to the city centre. The dolphin had no visible injuries, but would have been unable to stay alive for any length of time out of water on the short shoreline.
Sabine Springer of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) said that strong winds over the past few days may have swept the dolphin up the inner bay. Galway county veterinary officer Maeve Murray said that a postmortem would be carried out at the State's veterinary research laboratory in Athlone, Co Westmeath.
Striped dolphins were rarely seen in Irish waters until recently, but the evidence now suggests they are becoming more frequent, according to the IWDG.
A number have been stranded, particularly in the west and north.
They can be identified by the long thin dark stripe which runs from under the tail to the eyes, and from the eyes to the pectoral fins, but are similar in size and shape to common dolphins.
They feed on small fish, squid and shrimps, travel in schools of up to 80 to 100 individuals, like to bow ride and can be "very acrobatic", according to the IWDG's guide to identification of whales and dolphins of Ireland.
Ms Springer said that the IWDG is always interested to hear of information on strandings, and she can be contacted through its network on website www.iwdg.ie