Although it is far from an uncommon occurrence, it is always sad to hear of a dead dolphin on one of our beaches.

This was the case on Playa Granada in Motril just after Christmas. It was around 11.30h when beach strollers came across the dead creature between chiringuitos of Hoyo 19 and Pura Vida.

The protocol in these circumstances is for the Town Hall, the Policía Local and the Centro de Recuperación de Especies Amenazadas (CREA) to be informed.

The Andalusian network of Centros de Recuperación de Especies Amenazadas was founded in 2001 with the task of rescuing protected creatures in distress and injured and taking care of them so that they can be released, after they have recovered, into their natural environment.

Their secondary task is to remove the carcases of such animals from beaches and establish the cause of death, where possible, and then dispose of them.

It should also be noted that Spanish has a seperate word for a porpoise, which is marsopa although many porpoises are reported as dophins in the press. However, from the photo, we can see that it is a definitely a dolphin in this case.

So what’s the difference? Basically it’s their faces, their fins, and their shape. Dolphins tend to have prominent, elongated beaks, while porpoises have virtually no beak and smaller mouths. The dolphin’s hooked or curved dorsal fin also differs from the porpoise’s triangular dorsal fin. Generally speaking, dolphin bodies are leaner, and porpoises are portly.

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Dolphin, Dead, Playa de Granada, Beach Strollers, CREA, Centros de Recuperación de Especies Amenazadas