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An orca has been spotted in Plymouth Sound and the unusual sighting has been identified by excited staff at the National Marine Aquarium.

The amazing encounter has been caught on film by a Plympton family and it has been shown to knowledgeable experienced cetacean experts who all believe it to be an Orca.

The huge dolphins – once demonised with the name 'killer whale' – can grow up to 30ft long and they have a tall dorsal fin which makes them easy to identify. Orcas can be found around the British Isles but not in any great numbers, they are normally confined to more northerly areas off Scotland. There has been one recorded off Plymouth four years ago, but that was an isolated appearance and this is believed to be the first sighting within the Sound.

The video was taken by the Wright family in Plympton who were out in their kayaks, enjoying the perfect weather on the evening of Sunday, June 3.

Staff at the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) in Plymouth were excited to be sent the footage and their experts said all the characteristics of the animal suggest it was an orca (Orcinus orca).

A spokesperson said: "As a charity dedicated to connecting us with our oceans and having just held a national meeting on the future of marine parks around the UK, it was almost perfect timing for an unusual sighting in the area of water just in front of the aquarium."

(Image: Eileen Wright)

The family who recorded the rare sighting had often seen large adult male grey seals but were stunned when the much larger orca swam into view.

Like other dolphins and whales, orcas are air-breathing and may feed on a diet of fish, seals, squid and even seabirds. In spite of teeth that can grow up to four inches long, they are not considered a threat to humans.

Kayaker Neil Wright from Plympton, said: “It was much larger than anything I had seen on previous trips out around the Sound, probably at least twice the length of the two-metre grey seals I have seen.

"The height of the dorsal fin is what really stood out but sadly the encounter was over almost before we had a chance to really think about what we might have just witnessed.”

Eileen, Neil’s mother, submitted the footage to the NMA where it was picked up by curator James Wright.

James said: “Upon first viewing the footage my mind did jump to it possibly being an orca and what an amazing encounter it would have been to have had. These are amazing marine predators which specialise in many hunting techniques. In theory, they can be found in our waters but one venturing into Plymouth Sound would be quite a surprise.

“Orcas can be found around the British Isles but not in any great numbers, they are normally confined to more northerly areas off the shores of Scotland and the islands of Orkney and Shetland. There has been one record off Plymouth some four years ago, but that was an isolated appearance.

“We did some research and looked at other possible specimens - bottle-nosed dolphins do come into the Sound and one hung around for quite a while in 2015, but these have very different shaped dorsal fins.

"Common Dolphins can be sighted further offshore, especially by dive boats heading out to the Eddystone Reef, but these are much smaller animals and usually in groups.

"One which could fit is a Rissos dolphin but at the description of the size it would be a large older individual. As Risso’s dolphins grow and age, they lighten in colour and develop scarring, which this animal did not seem to have.

“We circulated the footage with some knowledgeable experienced cetacean experts who all leaned towards this being an orca.

“We cannot be 100 per cent certain without more definitive footage, especially of the characteristic white markings on the black body, but even if this is a sighting of a Risso’s dolphin in Plymouth Sound it is very special.”