FUNGIE THE DOLPHIN has become the Guinness World Records’ longest recorded solitary dolphin.

Fungie was first spotted off the coast of Dingle in 1983 and is believed to have stuck around ever since. The bottlenose dolphin is estimated to be at least 40 years old, according to the Guinness World Records.

He is often seen by visitors around Dingle Harbour on boat trips and is a huge tourist attraction in the area.

The record was announced on 18 September by the Guinness World Records.

The record was given after a 2019 report reviewing the world’s documented lone whales and dolphins published by global charity Marine Connection identified Fungie as the longest-living solitary dolphin in the world.

The report showed that bottlenose dolphins are the most frequently observed solitary species. The first edition of this report was published in 2008.

Another bottlenose dolphin named JoJo has also been living on his own in the Caribbean. Reports are varied on the day he was first spotted, but US wildlife advocate Dean Bernal first met the dolphin in 1984.