Rare striped dolphin discovered dead in Lerwick Harbour

A rare striped dolphin has been found dead in Lerwick Harbour.

The two foot long adult male was discovered by Lerwick Port Authority on Wednesday morning.

Scottish Natural Heritage officer Karen Hall said the dolphin was being sent to the Scottish mainland for a post mortem to clarify its cause of death.

The striped creature is a rare visitor to Shetland, with a small number of recorded sightings in the isles.

However, the animal is usually stranded or dead when spotted in Shetland.

The dolphin is more commonly found in tropical and temperate waters.