Rare dolphin species found stranded on Hampton Beach, cause of death unknown

Team members at New Hampshire's Seacoast Science Center's Marine Mammal Rescue say they found a species stranded at Hampton Beach they'd never seen before on Friday, July 14: A striped dolphin.

According to a release from SSC, rescuers arrived at Hampton Beach after lifeguards spotted the dolphin on the beach. The striped dolphin was an infant female, which was already deceased when life guards found it.

The SSC said that striped dolphins are incredibly rare in New England oceans, as they are a deep-water species that typically resides in more tropical regions. Striped dolphins visit the New England coast occasionally during the summer, but finding one stranded on the beach is incredibly rare, said rescuers.

Rescuers said they do not yet have a cause of death for the young striped dolphin, which was taken to the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for a necropsy.