A common dolphin was found dead along the River Scheldt in Burcht (East Flanders) on 7 March, reported the Natural Sciences Institute on Monday.
The animal was discovered about fifteen metres from the quay and was at risk of being swept away by the rising tide. Antwerp firefighters intervened to remove the dolphin from the water, and its carcass was taken to the Nature and Forest Agency (ANB) warehouse in Kalmthout for further examination.
Despite the advanced state of decomposition, experts identified it as a female measuring 166 cm and weighing an estimated 70 to 80 kg. The skin was mostly gone, making species identification difficult.
The dental structure suggested it was most likely a common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), although a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) could not be ruled out. The exact cause of death could not be determined due to the condition of the carcass.
Following media attention, a passerby recalled seeing a dolphin a month earlier in the Scheldt, far upstream from Burcht. "Based on images, we concluded it was a common dolphin, and it is very likely the same one found dead 35 days later," stated the Natural Sciences Institute.
"After the bottlenose dolphin and the white-beaked dolphin, the common dolphin is the third most expected species on the Belgian coast. However, its presence remains rare. In the past decade, only a few live common dolphins have been recorded in Belgium, along with a handful of sightings of unidentified dolphins," explained Jan Haelters of the Natural Sciences Institute.
Strandings of common dolphins are also rare in Belgium. The common dolphin found in Burcht and Hamme is not the first observed in the Scheldt, but experts believe it is the one that swam the furthest upstream in the river.
