Britain's Sea Mammals

About this guide 5 The seas around Britain and Ireland 6 What is a marine mammal 8

• Pinnipeds 8
• Cetaceans 10

Marine mammal families 12 Observing marine mammals 16

• Where and when to look 16
• How to look 18
• What to look for: identification 20
• What to look for: behaviour 22

Where to watch Britain's marine mammals 26

• Locations: Seals
• Britain 28
• Locations: Cetaceans
• South West England 30
• Wales 32
• Ireland 34
• North Sea coast 36
• Orkney & Shetland 38
• Western Scotland 40

BRITAIN'S SEA MAMMALS (See the following pages for full list) 42 Threats and conservation 117 Recording and getting involved 118 Stranded cetaceans and marine mammal rescue 119 Observation guidelines

• Observation guidelines: seals - on land 120
• Observation guidelines: sea vessels - at sea 121

Further reading 122 Useful addresses and web resources 123 Photographic and artwork credits 124 Acknowledgements 126 Index of English and scientific names 127 BRITAIN'S SEA MAMMALS BRITAIN'S SEALS 42 Common or Harbour Seal Phoca vitulina 44 Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus 48 Differentiating Common and Grey Seals 52 Rare seals Walrus Odobenus rosmarus 53 Ringed Seal Phoca hispida 54 Bearded Seal Erignathus barbatus 55 Harp Seal Phoca groenlandica 56 Hooded Seal Cystophora cristata 57 BRITAIN'S CETACEANS 58 Regularly occurring cetaceans 60 Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata 62 Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus 64 Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae 66 Killer Whale or Orca Orcinus orca 68 Long-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala melas 72 Short-beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis 74 Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus 78 Risso's Dolphin Grampus griseus 82 Atlantic White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus 84 White-beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris 86 Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena 88 Deepwater cetaceans 90 Sei Whale Balaenoptera borealis 92 Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus 94 Northern Bottlenose Whale Hyperoodon ampullatus 96 Cuvier's Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris 98 Mesoplodon beaked whales 100 Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba 104 Rare cetaceans 106 North Atlantic Right Whale Eubalaena glacialis 108 Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus 109 Pygmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps 110 Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima 111 Beluga Delphinapterus leucas 112 Narwhal Monodon monoceros 113 False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens 114 Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra 115 Fraser's Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei 116