Cardigan Bay bottlenose dolphin mysteries to be solved by collecting poo

Conservationists are hoping to learn about a group of bottlenose dolphins that make their home in Welsh waters – by studying their poo.

About 200 bottlenose dolphins are said to live in and around Cardigan Bay and, although they have been studied for several years, experts want to learn more about their relationships, breeding potential and movement patterns.

Analysis of samples will help them to understand what they have been feeding on and where and help build individual profiles for each dolphin.

They will also attempt to match the samples with photo identification records of the dolphins gathered on camera by members of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.

The trust secured funding for the project from the Welsh government’s Nature Networks Fund in collaboration with Aberystwyth University.

The samples will be gathered by net after the dolphins defecate and then analysed by university scientists using techniques to extract detailed data about the animals’ diet using environmental DNA (eDNA).

Sarah Perry, the trust’s marine conservation and research manager, said she hoped the study would “unravel the mysteries of bottlenose dolphin ecology in Cardigan Bay”.

“This project covers an area of research that we have aspired to embark on over the past decade or so and we are excited that it has come to fruition at a time when it is even more important that we build on our knowledge of the species in the waters around us.”