Size: 7 m – 10 m Weight: 10 tonnes Lifespan: 40 – 50 years

Minke whales are regularly sighted around the Hebrides during the summer and autumn months. They have large flat pointed heads and are a dark grey in colour with a white underside. They have a curved dorsal fin, which is approximately two thirds of the way along the back. They will either be spotted on their own or in small groups of three or four. The minke is very inquisitive and will, for instance, approach boats, diving in and around them. Whales, dolphins and porpoises all belong to a group called cetaceans, which are air-breathing mammals. Cetaceans are divided into two different categories, namely the toothed whale that can hunt larger prey and the baleen whale that filter-feed through a plate, or baleen, in their mouths. The minke is the smallest of these baleens and feeds on small fish and krill. It is thought that they head to warmer climes further south during the winter months. The vibrations of a whales’ song (not just for the minke but for all the specie) can be detected hundreds, even thousands, of miles away. The breeding season is from December through to May and they only calve every two years. As with all cetaceans – calves are born tail first so that they can swim immediately. The minke is not commercially hunted in Scottish waters but this is not the case in the North Atlantic and Antarctic where between 500 and a 1000 can be culled each year.

Where can we see them?

Size: 5.5 m – 9.8 m Weight: 9 tonnes Lifespan: 60 – 90 years

The killer whale is actually part of the dolphin family. Like the dolphin it also belongs to the toothed-whale group of cetaceans (see Minke Whale above), which often causes it to be misunderstood! Whilst they are at the very top of the food chain, they are not known to attack human beings but instead feed on fish, octopus, seabirds, seals as well as harbour porpoises. They have also been known to attack the minke. They are easily identifiable by their triangular dorsal fin, which can be six feet in length in a fully-grown adult male. Orca’s have an oval shaped patch to the back of both eyes, a grey saddle behind the dorsal and curved white marking on the lower edges of their flanks. Surprisingly enough, they are friendly and sociable creatures and live in large groups or pods. It’s an interesting fact that whales, as with dolphins, don’t sleep. Instead they snatch fifty winks by suspending themselves vertically just below the surface. However, only one side of the brain can rest at a time, as breathing function needs to be maintained. Coming across a pod of napping whales can be an incredible, yet eerie, sight. They are occasionally seen in the Hebrides but much less so than the minke. According to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust many of the sightings are of the same pod. They are mainly seen around the Outer Hebrides or around the isles of Coll, Tiree and Canna.

Where can we see them?

Size: 1,9 m – 4 m Weight: 275 kg Lifespan: 25 years

Dolphins, whales and porpoises all belong to the same marine group of animals known as cetaceans i.e. air-breathing mammals with lungs and blow holes. There are two categories within this group, the filter feeder and the toothed variety - the dolphin belonging to the latter. Their sharp teeth enable them to feed on all sorts of fish including the cuttlefish. The bottlenose dolphin is the largest of the specie. They are a brownish grey in colour with a paler underside and a large, curved dorsal fin. They have a definite beak and that famous smiley face. They tend to swim close inshore and travel in groups of between five and twenty. The further out to sea they live the larger the group number. On average they swim at a speed of about two miles per hour but can go ten times that if in danger. The bottlenose is a common sight around the Scottish coast. They are intelligent, curious, and playful and a delight to watch as they leap in and out of the water. A significant number of these dolphins are drown each year after accidentally getting caught up in fishing nets. Additionally, they are under threat from pollution and fish farming.

Where can we see them?

Size: 1,4 m – 1,9 m (females slightly larger than males) Lifespan: Approximately 10 years

Harbour porpoises are regularly sighted in Scottish coastal waters. They are often mistaken for dolphins but can be identified by their shorter bodies, sloping heads, small triangular dorsal fin and lack of a pronounced beak. It is also worth noting that, unlike the bottlenose dolphin that leaps clear of the surface the harbour porpoise can be seen arching its’ way through the water. They are less inquisitive and less sociable than the dolphin and tend to be quite shy. They feed on small fish, shrimp and squid and significant numbers get caught, and drown, in fishing nets each year. This along with their short lifespan and reproductive cycle (producing one calf a year only) means that their numbers are under serious threat. In the Hebrides they can also fall prey the killer whale.

Where can we see them?

Size: 12 m Weight: 7 tonnes

Seen in Scottish waters during the summer months with a significant increase in sightings during the 2005 season. Their name is derived from the fact that they swim just below the surface seemingly basking in the sunshine – well what little of it there is in Scotland anyway! They move further south in the winter months but remain in British waters. It is the second largest fish in the world, after the tropical whale shark. The dorsal fin of a fully-grown male can be as much as two metres in length and as such tends to flop over on to one side. Basking sharks are harmless, gentle creatures but the sheer size and the sight of their fin can still cause a fright. They feed on plankton and swim with their mouths wide open filtering up to 2,000 cubic meters of water an hour. Very little is known about them compared to other marine creatures. They are an endangered species remaining under threat by hunters especially in the Far East where their fin is regarded as a great delicacy.

Where can we see them?

Size: 1 - 1.3 m Weight: 7 - 9 kg Lifespan: Approximately 4 years (in the wild)

The otters found in British coastal waters are not sea otters but river otters, which have adapted to a marine habitat. They are most commonly found on the north west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides. A member of the weasel family, they have a svelte body, long thick tail, and webbed feet. They have two coats, a warm insulating one on the inside and an outer waterproof one. Otters require access to fresh water, as they need to wash the salt from their coats on a daily basis. Inquisitive and playful animals, they are extremely dexterous and make for fast, yet graceful, swimmers. In order to maintain their body temperature in the cold waters they need to consume great quantities of food and live on a diet of small fish, shellfish and eels. Two or three cubs are born at a time, usually in the spring and autumn and remain with the mother for up to 15 months. When not mating they tend to live singularly. Otters create shoreline territories of approximately two miles in length, which they mark out with strong smelling droppings called spraints. Whilst otters are by no means readily sighted, they are mostly likely to be spotted mornings and evenings foraging in the seaweed on the foreshore or fishing close in. To observe you will need to maintain a distance and remain silent and very still.

Where can we see them?

Size: 1.5 - 2 m Weight: 100 - 120 kg Lifespan: 20 years (male), 25 years (female)

The common seal is smaller than the grey seal and is mostly found sunbathing on rocky promontories or sandbanks, or fishing around inlets and harbours. They have huge Labrador-like eyes set in a large round head. They are most easily identifiable from the grey seal by their prominent whiskered snout. Their coats are greyish/brown with lighter underbellies with blotched markings. Males are called bulls and females’ cows. They have a varied diet including herring, shrimp, eel, octopus and shellfish. The main pupping season is June and July with breeding beginning again thereafter. As common seals are born within the inter-tidal zone they are able to swim instinctively, sometimes even being born straight into the water. Due to this they moult their infant coats before birth and are born with their adult markings.

Size: 2.5 m Weight: 300 kg Lifespan: 25 years (male), 35 years (female)

The grey seal is larger than its’ common counterpart with a less pronounced, more sloping nose. Their coats vary in colour from orangey brown, darker brown, grey and silver grey, again with spot-like markings. They are also known as atlantic seals and the British Isles are home to almost half of the entire world population. They feed on all types of fish but also include crabs in their diet. Pups are born in the spring with a white/creamy coloured fluffy coat. Grey seal pups do not swim immediately and only take to the water when they are about three weeks old, after they have been fattened up to insulate them against the cold temperatures.

Where can we see them?