A massive, mysterious mammal washed up on the southern coast of England, according to Bridport News, alarming residents and marine experts alike.
What's happening?
On the morning of Monday, Dec. 22, visitors to Chesil Beach spotted something unexpected and unsettling.
Gill Morrison was on a seaside walk with her son when they encountered the unidentifiable creature.
A unique marine mammal has washed up along Chesil Beach. It is believed to have become beached after recent bad weather and storms.
Posted by Dorset Echo on Monday, December 22, 2025
"I was walking on Chesil Beach … and there [was] a very dead mammal there the size of a large calf," she recalled. "Lots of fishermen and dog walkers were walking by, and I don't think they reported it."
Conservationist, researcher, and expert Erich Hoyt authored a reference book about aquatic wildlife and lives in Bridport.
He identified the deceased creature as a Risso's dolphin, a mammal that prefers the deep, frigid waters of the Scottish highlands.
Why is this concerning?
Hoyt assessed the photograph and identified the Risso's dolphin as a juvenile, one that had been "dead for some time."
He observed that it was missing almost all of its dorsal fin, but a single flipper was intact.
"It may have been beached in the recent storms," Hoyt concluded. On Nov. 18, the Met Office warned of "heavy and persistent rain" across England and Wales due to Storm Claudia.
According to the BBC, Storm Claudia dropped a "month's worth" of rain on the U.K., constituting a "major incident" and leading to severe flooding and evacuations.
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Extremely 😫 Euro News acknowledged the impacts were so severe because the storm system was extreme weather. The outlet reported that Storm Claudia swept across Europe, causing more than 4,000 separate incidents and three deaths.
Extreme weather is not the same as "severe weather." Rather, it's a phenomenon supercharged by rising temperatures, making violent weather patterns far deadlier and more destructive.
Portuguese meteorologist Paulo Pinto told Euro News that extreme weather events are challenging to predict, posing an even greater risk to humans and wildlife.
In 2024, a mass stranding event in Scotland resulted in the deaths of 77 pilot whales, and extreme weather and atmospheric changes were considered likely causes.
Evidence gathered at the site suggested that the whales were driven ashore in a panicked "stress response," and experts cited rapidly changing water temperatures as a potential factor.
What's being done about it?
A British Divers Marine Life Rescue spokesperson emphasized that the incident needed to be "logged and assessed appropriately," but it was unclear if any action had yet been taken.
Morrison said that after taking photographs of the scene, she and her son sought to report the incident "to no avail."
"We wanted to raise attention of this not only out of respect for the animal but also as a matter of public safety as it looks like it has been there a while," she told the outlet.
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