North Devon dead dolphin taken to London for necropsy

The dolphin was taken to London Zoo for a necropsy

A dead dolphin that washed up in north Devon, has been collected for research by the Natural History Museum.

A kite surfer reported the marine mammal to rangers at Northam Burrows Country Park on Friday.

The dolphin was taken to London Zoo on Tuesday for a necropsy to determine its cause of death.

Deputy ranger Rose Robins said the data would allow staff to learn more about "dolphins living off our coasts".

She said any stranded marine animals that were reported to rangers were examined as part of a "long-term information" collection.

'Several incidents'

"We'll measure it and take photos to submit to the Devon Marine Strandings Network, which is run by Devon Wildlife Trust," Ms Robins said.

"By sending in the measurements and information on whether there is any obvious damage or disease, then they can learn more about what is going on in the populations of dolphins living off our coasts."

She said when the dolphin washed up "quite fresh" and with "no obvious reason why it died", rangers were able to co-ordinate for an necropsy to learn more.

The Northam Burrows ranger team receive reports of "several incidents" like this a year due to the coastline, Ms Robins added.

Members of the public have been asked to call the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service if they encounter any stranded sea creatures

She said: "The area we look after covers two miles of coastline and the way the current works with the force of the Atlantic can be quite strong.

"Westward Ho! has a steep pebble ridge which is an unusual geological feature and creatures that die at sea can wash up and get stuck on this."

Northam Burrows Country Park said it hoped to "follow up" with the Natural History Museum to get a copy of the necropsy report so it could share the findings.

It advised members of the public to call the British Divers Marine Life Rescue service if they encountered any live sea creatures stranded on the shore.

Photos and details of any dead stranded marine animals can be emailed to the Devon Wildlife Trust or Northam Burrows Country Park.