|
|
Article: Killer whales blamed for decline of Scottish seals
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 14, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
Attacks by killer whales may be helping to drive the sudden and
mysterious decline of seals around the northern coasts of Scotland,
new research suggests.
British populations of harbour seals (also known as common seals)
are falling steeply, with numbers in Orkney and Shetland dropping by
40 per cent in the five years to 2006.
So far, the declines are unexplained, but a new theory is that
killer whales, or orcas, the bulky, black-and-white predators which
are in fact the largest members of the dolphin family, have
increased their taking of seals to such an extent that it may be
causing populations to shrink.
The harbour seal is one of Britain's two native seal species, the
other being the ...