orca safaris
sea safari wildlife
On this page you will find a list of wildlife that
can be found in and around the shores of Cornwall.
The list
below is increasing constantly as more people join our sea safari
expeditions and as sea temperatures rise year on year we are seeing an increasingly diverse range of marine wildlife around our Cornish coast.
Rare American and European vagrants are seen on occasions.Photo I/D of all cetaceans is carried out and encouraged and all birds are documented and logged. We encourage phone calls in our area of operation of any sightings, strandings or distressed or oiled birds or likewise injured mammals.
Come and discover our amazing marine wildlife on an Orca Sea Safari.
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bottlenose dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are often found close to shore, as they navigate around coastal areas particularly well. They are found in groups (pods) of up to 12 animals, but pods can sometimes come together to form larger groups. They are the largest and most demonstrative of the Cornish dolphins, often leaping out the water or riding the bow wave of boats. They grow up to 4m long and weigh up to 650kg. Bottlenose dolphins eat small fish and crustaceans.
basking shark
Picture taken from Seaquest last year. The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is a huge filter feeding shark which grows to be up to about 33 feet (10 m) long. It is the second-largest shark (after the whale shark). This huge, bulky, filter-feeder is grayish brown to black to bluish on the upper surface and off-white or darker on its belly. It has a huge mouth which it uses to collect tiny food that floats in the water. A sluggish swimmer with huge gills and dark, bristle-like gill rakers, it filters its food from the water.
compass jellyfish
The Compass Jellyfish (Chrysaora hysoscella), occurs in coastal waters all around the British Isles, and is prevalent around our South West coast. The young start appearing in our waters in May and adults can be seen throughout the summer. Its bell can grow up to 30cm and its tentacles are covered with clusters of stinging cells, that can produced painful, long lasting weals in humans. It is yellowish white in clour with a highly distincyive brown pattern like the radii of a compass.
minke whale
The Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the second smallest of the baleen whales, growing up to 10.7 m long. These whales feed on plankton which they strain fron the seawater through plates of baleen on the side of their mouth. They are distinguished from other whales by a white band on each flipper. When they breach the whole of their back is usually exposed including the dorsal fin and blow-holes. Minke whales can dive from 2-20 minutes and can live 30-50 years.
turtles
A Leather Back Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) pictured here off the Cornish Coast. The leatherback is the largest living turtle. Among the seven or eight species of sea turtle it is the most pelagic, swims fastest and dives deepest. The weight normally ranges from 200 to 700kg. The largest leatherback ever recorded was a male of 914kg and 2.6m length that stranded on the west coast of Wales in 1988. The distinctive carapace has a rubber-like texture, is about 4cm thick and is made primarily of tough, oil-saturated connective tissue. The front flippers are proportionally longer than in any other sea turtle, and may span 2.7m.
common dolphin
Photo taken on an Orca Sea Safari by V Clare. The Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)varies so much in appearance that more than 20 species have been proposed over the years. Only a single species is currently recognised, although there are 2 distinct forms the short-beaked and the long-beaked which may soon be granted species status. Although there is some evidence of population decline, it is still one of the most abundant of all cetaceans, probably numbered in millions. We have the opportunity to see these beautiful dolphins in large super-pods over the winter in numbers up to 1000+ at a time!!
harbour porpoise
The Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)is one of the smallest ocean mammals, growing up to 1.9m. They are distinguished from most dolphins by their small size and lack of beak. Harbour Porpoise are shy creatures who are normally spotted by their small dorsal fin breaking the surface as they take a breath. As they exhale, they make a loud puffing noise, which means sometimes they are heard before they are seen. They can live up to 25 years and feed on small fish.
atlantic grey seal
The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) lives in the North Atlantic. Its population is centred around the British Isles, the Scottish coasts in particular. France, with a few colonies in Brittany, forms the southern limit of its distribution in Europe. It is generally the only species of seal found around Cornwall. Often the first glimpse of a seal is a head raised out of the water before the animal makes another dive. In late autumn and winter, grey seals haul out on quiet beaches around the Cornish coast to mate and have their white coated pups.
ocean sunfish
Photo taken from our boat. The Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola) is the heaviest bony fish in the world with an average weight of 1000kg and average size of 1.8m diameter. Sunfish resemble a fish head without a tail, having just a large dorsal and anal fin which are its main means of propulsion through the water. The body is flattened and Sunfish can sometimes be seen basking on the surface on their flattened side. This allows seabirds to pick parasites from their body and may be a means of thermal recharging as they spend a lot of time at depths greater than 200m. Their main diet is Jellt fish.
fin whale
Picture taken from Seaquest last year off Portscatho. The Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second largest animal on earth (after the Blue Whale). It is known to grow more than 26m (85½ft), though the average length is much smaller. When swimming just below the surface, the white lip is often clearly visible, through it could be confused with the white flipper of a Humpback Whale. Once one of the most heavily exploited by the whaling industry and its population has been severely depleted.
peregrine falcon
The majestic Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is the fastest animal on the planet when hunting. Its hunting dive or stoop can see it reach speeds of over 200mph. The wingspan is up to 120cm with female birds being up to 30% larger than males. Peregrines are permanent residents around the cornish coast and the male and female will pair for life, returning to the same nesting site year after year. They feed mostly on smaller birds, hunting them on the wing and then settling somewhere quiet to enjoy their catch.
grey heron
The Grey Heron (Ardea Cinerea) is an all year round resident in our local rivers and estuarys. It is a large bird of 90-100cm tall which can often be seen standing 'statue-like' on the tide line waiting for small fish or frogs to pass. Other times it can be spotted majestically flying with its long neck retracted and wingspan of 175-195cm. The Grey Heron breeds in colonies in trees close to lakes, sea-shore or wetlands.