Possible rare whale sighting being investigated

Wildlife experts believe a rare species of whale has been spotted near Cornwall.

The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust said it had received reports of 17 whale sightings in the waters around the islands between 29 December and 8 January, with minke and humpback whales among those spotted.

The charity added one of the whales seen in the water between St Mary's and St Agnes was potentially a rare breed they were trying to identify.

Jay Cowen, from the trust, told BBC Radio Cornwall it was believed the whale was either a Cuvier's beaked whale or a northern bottlenose.

"They both prefer offshore deeper waters, so it's quite unusual to spot them close to land," said Mx Cowen who uses "they" and "them" as personal pronouns.

"Both species [are] rare to spot in general around the UK, but especially so around Scilly."

The most common place for sightings was St Martin's with a number of humpbacks spotted there.

Mx Cowen said whales normally head to warmer water nearer the equator between late May and October to breed before returning to colder seas and oceans to feed their calves, with some species having a migration range of 6,000 miles (9,656km).

The trust's fundraising and comms officer said while whale sightings were common around the islands at this time of year, it was something the trust enjoyed looking out for.

"Every single year I am on the edge of my seat waiting for that first sighting of whales," they added.

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