Rare dolphin spotted in B.C.

Researchers are excited about a rare sighting of a long-beaked common dolphin in Esperanza Inlet, B.C., in the northwest coast of Vancouver Island. The Marine Education & Research Society (MERS) shared news of the sighting on Wednesday. “The sightings in 2002 and 2003 coincided with warm water conditions off the BC coast caused by a weak El Niño event, so it may be that warm ocean temperatures in some years cause a northward shift in their distribution off California, and some individuals may stray even further north,” reads a 2014 book by marine mammal researcher John Ford that MERS cites. Long-beaked common dolphins can grow to six to 8.5 feet long, and weigh between 160 to 500 pounds. The most common type of dolphin to see around Vancouver Island is the Pacific white-sided dolphin.