Discover the world of the remarkable Risso’s dolphins with expert Nicola and her work developing two new Risso’s photo ID catalogues.
Join Risso’s expert, Nicola Hodgins, as she connects the pieces of the Risso’s puzzle to unravel the mysteries surrounding the species and get a better understanding of how they use Scottish waters.
Risso's dolphins are one of the 24 different species of cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) found in Scottish waters. Risso's are characteristically known for their scratched up skin, but where do these scars come from? These are inflicted by other Risso's dolphins and prey species, such as squid, octopus and cuttlefish, which Risso's predate on in deeper waters. Risso’s dolphins are widely distributed throughout most oceans between 60° North and 55° South. The north of Scotland represents the northern limit for this species.
There is still relatively little known about the magnificent Risso’s dolphin species. Nicola has spent the past 13 years studying the population found off the west coast of Scotland. Collaboration of different groups, including HWDT, and the work Nicola carries out with Whale and Dolphin Conservation has resulted in the Scottish Government declaring the North-east Lewis Marine Protected Area in 2020 for Risso’s dolphins.
Nicola has contributed to work which has resulted in two Photo-ID catalogues being published for Risso’s dolphins – one identifying individual dolphins seen in the waters of Orkney and north-east Scotland and the other around the Shetland and Fair Isle. Championing the importance of citizen science in order to help understand more about the species and help piece together some unanswered questions to help protect Risso’s.
Nicola is a passionate and knowledgeable speaker, and you are invited to come along and ask your questions and find out more about these magnificent creatures.
We want our talks to be accessible for everyone so optional subtitles will be generated during the webinar and we are asking you to pay what you can. Your donation will support marine conservation in Scotland. Thank you.