A dead Risso’s Dolphin was found Tuesday last week on County Line Beach west of Yerba Buena Road, according to Jonsie Ross, Assistant Marine Mammal Rescue Coordinator at the California Wildlife Center. Ross wrote in an email to The Malibu Times that the dolphin has been paint-tagged and secured by a rope because the Santa Barbara History Museum intends to preserve the dolphin for its skeletal collection. The cause of death for the dolphin is unknown.
It had previously been speculated the dolphin was a beluga whale. According to the American Cetacean Society (ACS), Risso’s Dolphins are one of the larger dolphin species, with a rounded head, similar to a pilot whale. They generally stay offshore, and inshore appearances are uncommon. However, groups of Risso’s Dolphins have been known to move to inshore areas on occasion, according to ACS. The dolphins, with an average length of about 10 feet, prefer warm climates and their primary prey is squid and certain fish species.
Photo by Stephanie Chaisson/TMT.