A MARINE expert had a real ‘fluke’ when she spotted a Minke whale off the Dorset coast.

Julie Hatcher, marine awareness officer at Dorset Wildlife Trust, spotted the whale in waters off the Durdle Door on Wednesday.

Lulworth Rangers described the sighting as ‘rare and exciting’. Minke whales usually prefer much colder waters.

Lynn Marsland, from the rangers team, said: “If you look at the distribution it is rare to see them in these parts. They are more often seen on the west coast, in the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, as far south as Yorkshire or off the coast of Ireland, so to see it here in the English Channel is really exciting.

“I don’t know why it would have come here. It could be ill, or hunting for fish, or somehow got knocked off course. It could be anything really.”

Lynn added that there is still plenty to be found along the beaches in winter, including shark and ray eggcases that are often found washed up after storms. People can take findings into the Heritage Centre in Lulworth Cove for identification.

The team stressed that the cliffs can be unpredictable, especially at this time of year, and that anyone walking at the coast should take sensible precautions.

Emma Rance, marine conservation officer at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said it’s not the first Minke to be spotted off the Dorset coast, but added that the creatures are rare visitors.

“There have been one or two sightings over the years, but they can be quite difficult to spot since you often only see the dorsal fin rather than the tail fluke. It’s pretty exciting though, and they are great to see.”

Minke are baleen whales, which means they do not have teeth, but instead filter seawater through baleen plates in their mouths to eat their food – typically crustaceans, plankton and small fish. They can grow up to 10 metres in length.

Emma said: “Julie was on the coast path at the Durdle Door when she spotted the whale. You can’t always be 100 per cent certain without identification but Julie is an expert and if she says she thinks it’s a Minke then it is likely to be so.”

She added that wildlife spotters are ‘always welcome’ to report sightings of any animals to the Dorset Wildlife Trust on their Twitter and Facebook pages.

“It is so important to record these species, as it furthers our understanding of trends and populations. If there is a photo, even better.”