Rare sighting of bowhead whale in Cornwall
A bowhead whale was sighted off the south coast of Cornwall over the weekend, only the second ever such recording of this species in the UK. The sighting was observed by scientist from Marine Discovery, a wildlife-watching operator based in Penzance.
Bowheads, which can grow to around 20m, are normally found in much colder arctic waters near the ice edge. The previous sighting came off the Isles of Scilly in February 2015, raising the possibility that this could be the same whale.
Bowhead whales are one of the largest whales and one of the longest-living mammals, one whale killed in 1993 was discovered to be over 200 years old.
