Famous 70s killer whale found to be living in Scotland

Scientists studying Scotland's resident population of killer whales have identified an individual animal which hit the headlines in the 1970s.

The orca swam up the River Foyle in Northern Ireland in November 1977.



Efforts to persuade it to return to the open sea failed, leading to it being dubbed "Dopey Dick" by journalists in Londonderry.
The killer whale, officially known as Comet, is now said be living in the waters off Scotland's west coast.
Dopey Dick's true identity was discovered when old photographs were uploaded onto a Facebook page.
Killer whale expert Andy Foote and Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust science officer Dr Conor Ryan recognised the whale in the images as Comet, last recorded by the Trust off Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, in September 2014.

Distinctive features

Comet has been photographed many times in both Scotland and Ireland by researchers and members of the public, enabling scientists to track his movements.
Dr Foote said: "When I saw the photos on Facebook, I noticed that the white eye patch of Dopey Dick sloped backwards in a really distinctive fashion.
"This is a trait we see in all the West Coast Community whales, but it's not that common in other killer whale populations.

"The photographs were all quite grainy, but it was still possible to see some of the distinctive features unique to Comet. I couldn't believe it - he was already a full-grown male back in 1977, when I was just five-years old."
Dr Ryan told BBC News: "A killer whale swam up the river into Derry and there were photographs and videos taken.
"From the pictures you can tell he was an adult male back then and he's still going, so we reckon he's at least 50 years old, possibly older.
"Even though he was nicknamed Dopey Dick, he probably knew exactly what he was doing."
The animal is part of a unique group of killer whales, which marine scientists refer to as the "west coast community".
Despite the news about the orca's survival, Dr Ryan is warning that the west coast community is facing an uncertain future.