Warm water species shows up in Puget Sound

The Seattle Times is reporting sightings of bottlenose, Flipper-style dolphins in Puget Sound:

The wayward bottlenose dolphin seen recently in Puget Sound is the region's fourth tropical marine visitor in a year.

Another bottlenose dolphin and two Bryde's whales, all native to warmer climes, appeared in Washington's inland waters last year, said John Calambokidis, of Cascadia Research. The three animals perished in Puget Sound.

Source

There's a possibility some of the reports are of trained dolphins engaged in security for the Trident base on Hood Canal, but the Navy isn't discussing it.

However, if the finned visitors are wild tourists, we have to think they are heading to the South Sound because it's shallower and therefore warmer. Unfortunately for them, the South Sound is also more polluted because it there isn't as much natural flushing action as there is in the north.


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