People in Istanbul have been delighted by the sight of rarely-encountered visitors to the Turkish city: dolphins.

Much of the country is in lockdown with people confined to their homes for a four-day curfew, but for the mammals there have been new and exciting worlds to explore.

According to the Turkish Marine Research Foundation, three different species exist in the region, including the bottlenose.

The marine pollution and noise usually keep them well away from the Bosphorus's busiest areas, but people in Turkey have been sharing footage of the friendly mammals approaching them on the shoreline.

Roads and bridges in Istanbul, normally heaving with traffic at all times of day, have been deserted in recent days.

Shipping traffic along the Bosphorous, the world-famous waterway that runs through the middle of the city, is also much reduced.

The coronavirus curfew has halted all regular life in Turkey and even ceremonies to mark the 100th anniversary of the country's parliament had to be cancelled.

But the peace and quiet in the country's largest city meant that its dolphins, at least, could celebrate.