A POST mortem is to be carried out after a bottlenose dolphin was found dead on a Ceredigion beach.

The dolphin, known locally as Riptide, a popular character in the waters around New Quay, was found washed up on a beach near the town last week.

Investigators decided to delay conducting a post mortem as it was half term week and the beach was busy, but they do say there are no obvious signs of cause of death and he did have signs indicative of his old age.

Marine Environmental Monitoring said: "Unfortunately, due to their size and weight they normally sink when they die, so we don’t get to investigate them, with us normally only getting one or two reported along the Welsh coastline in a year.

"Last Thursday we got reports of a bottlenose dolphin washing up in the New Quay area.

"With the rarity of this happening, we will always try an attend straight away, which we did.

"The bottlenose turned out to be an old male that was well know in the area, and had last been seen swimming in the New Quay area around the 9 May.

"At 3.4m it is around the maximum size we find male bottlenose dolphins, and despite being dead was in good condition. He had signs indicative of his old age including worn down teeth and some missing.

"There were no external signs of injury or obvious signs of cause of death.

Normally due to the size of bottlenose dolphins we carry out a post-mortem (PM) in-situ.

"Unfortunately, due to it being half term and the beach being a very popular holiday location, we have decided to delay this process.

"We will be working with the council and other agencies so that we can get a full array of samples and data early next week and hopefully remove him at the same time.”

Sea Watch Foundation said: "We are saddened to announce the passing of Riptide, one of our beloved bottlenose dolphins.

"First identified by our team in 1992, Riptide was estimated to be around 40 years old. His distinctive white colouration and the notches on his dorsal fin made him easily recognisable.

"Riptide has been a favourite among our staff and interns over the years, making this news particularly heartbreaking.

"However, his passing provides a valuable opportunity to gain insights into the lives of these incredible animals.”