Dolphin found dead at point
A DOLPHIN has been found dead by a group of surfers. It was washed ashore at Double Island Point.
Gympie surfer Dom Stephens saw the dolphin wash ashore on the northern side of Double Island Point around 11am Saturday.
He said he and a group of friends had been surfing the incoming tide with dolphins earlier in the morning.
“We were out in the water and a big pod of dolphins started riding waves with us,” Mr Stephens said.
“When we came back in I saw a dolphin hit the shore.
“I thought it must have beached itself so the boys and I ran down to the water to see if we could save it but it was already dead.
The surfer said he thinks the dolphin must just have died that morning because the mammal’s corpse looked fresh.
“It was in good condition, no sharks had been into it.”
It is possible the dolphin just died of old age and washed ashore on the incoming tide.
A dolphin’s average life span is around 20 years although some dolphins have lived as long as 48 years. It’s age can be measured by looking at its teeth. Each year it grows a new layer of tissue on its teeth.
When a dolphin dies, its teeth can be cut to see how old the dolphin was, a bit like the rings on a tree.
