A rare sighting of a Sowerby’s whale has been captured on camera in Cardigan Bay.

The footage was captured by SeaMôr Dolphin Watching Boat Trips earlier today (Saturday, 2 September)

The whale was seen for a short period of time before it swam back into deeper water.

"This is a very rare sighting," said Claudia Afeltra, Communications and Outreach Officer at Sea Watch Foundation.

She added: “There have only been 13 confirmed sightings of Sowerby's whales in the UK since 2007.

"While the sighting has not raised immediate concerns for the whale's well-being, as it appeared healthy and naturally retreated to deeper waters, we will closely monitor its movements”.

Sowerby's whales are deep-diving oceanic species that typically live in waters over 1,000 meters deep.

They are rarely seen in shallow waters, so this sighting is a significant event. Sowerby's whales are small to medium-sized beaked whales.

They are about 5-7 meters long and weigh up to 2 tons.

They have a long, slender beak and a small, hooked dorsal fin. Sowerby's whales are deep-diving animals and can stay underwater for up to 2 hours. They feed on squid and fish.

Sowerby's whales are listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The main threats to their survival are entanglement in fishing gear and habitat loss.

The Sea Watch Foundation is a charity that works to protect whales, dolphins, and other marine life.

They are calling on the public to report any sightings of Sowerby's whales to them by clicking this link.

This information can help them to better understand the distribution and behavior of this rare species.