A dead mammal believed to be a porpoise has washed up on a Fife beach.
The marine creature was first spotted by locals walking along Kirkcaldy Beach on Thursday afternoon.
Experts believe the carcass to be a harbour porpoise which most likely died after a grey seal attack.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) said: “It is difficult to identify this animal for certain due to the decomposition and scavenger damage.
“However, it looks to me to be a harbour porpoise.
“The marks on the animal are also consistent with grey seal predation which further suggests this is likely to be a porpoise.”
Grey seal predation likely cause of porpoise death
The stranding came soon after the region was battered by Storm Gerrit on Wednesday, with the dead porpoise washing up during high tide.
A spokesperson for the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust said: “From the images provided it looks to be an adult porpoise that has died at sea and come in on the high tide.
“We will visit the site just in case the next tide has not taken it away.
“The dead carcass is a valuable food source for many seaside scavengers.
“However, we would ask that walkers with dogs keep them under control in the vicinity.
Harbour porpoises are the smallest cetaceans found in Scottish waters and can reach up to 1.9m long.
The sea creatures have a blunt head with a stocky body and a fin positioned in the middle of their backs.
The SMASS spokesperson added: “We would like to thank everyone who reported the porpoise to us.
“We encourage anyone to report stranded whales, dolphins or seals to SMASS as early as possible.”
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