Stranded dolphin found washed up on a beach in the Canary Islands

A striped dolphin was discovered stranded on the shores of Lanzarote yesterday afternoon, Friday, in the intertidal zone near the Castillo San Gabriel in Arrecife.

The local authorities activated the protocol to be followed in such cases and requested the presence of environmental experts from the Lanzarote Cabildo and personnel from the Canarian Society for the Study of Cetaceans in the Canary Islands (SECAC), to advise on the situation and the removal of the dead dolphin.

Once removed, the dolphin will be taken for a necropsy to be performed which will determine the possible causes of its stranding and death.

The Canary Islands is home to 30 registered cetacean species, all of which are protected by regional, national, or European regulations.

ABOUT THE STRIPED DOLPHIN

The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is a cetacean species found in temperate and tropical waters, typically not exceeding 2.20 metres in length.

It is the most common cetacean in the western Mediterranean, representing over 60% of total strandings along these coasts.