'Superpod' of 1,000 dolphins spotted off Skye

By Daniel Barrenger

Saturday 03 July 2010

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A group of wildlife spotters taking a boat trip off the north coast of Skye encountered an enormous "superpod" of 1,000 dolphins.

The boat's owner, Nick Davies, who operates out of Gairloch on the mainland, said he thought they were short-beaked common dolphins and he had seen such a sight only once before in 15 years.

Last June, a "superpod" of more than 400 dolphins was recorded in the Moray Firth.

Mr Davies said the Skye pod had included adults, juveniles and calves. "They were everywhere you looked for as far as you could see. There was five square miles where they just filled the sea," he said. It is thought the giant pod was created when smaller ones grouped together to chase a huge shoal of fish.

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