One of Scotland’s last “resident” killer whales has been found dead, sparking fears for the survival of the pod.
The body of the female orca – named Lulu – was washed ashore on Tiree.
Now only four females remain in the critically endangered group which inhabits the waters off the Western Isles and Ireland.
The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust fear the conservation status of the pod is at grave risk.
The charity believes that the last eight – thought to be more closely related to a group of Antarctic orca than north Atlantic killer whales – are likely to become extinct in our lifetime, as no calves have been spotted with them for 20 years.
Remaining females in the pod – Nicola, Moneypenny, Puffin and Occasus – may be too old to breed. The males are John Coe, Floppy Fin, Aquarius, and Comet.
Biologist at the trust, Dr Conor Ryan, made the identification after matching Lulu’s known eye patches, scars and unique marks from a photo of the dead whale taken by John Bowler, the RSPB officer on Tiree.
Her age is unknown but female orcas can live to over 30 years.
On its facebook page, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust said: “We have some sad news to report: one of the West Coast Community of killer whales known as ‘Lulu’ was found dead yesterday on Tiree.
“It is particularly sad to know that another one of these killer whales, unique to the British and Irish Isles has died.
“There may be as few as eight individuals remaining in this population, which has not produced calves since studies began.”
Killer whale specialist, Dr Andy Foote, said: “It is very sad to lose this unique group.
“There are lots of potential contributing factors, many of them man-made. By making this link between a stranded animal and its source population it makes it possible to investigate these.
“It may also be part of a very natural process, and when these killer whale populations colonise new areas, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t.”
A postmortem is to be held to try and determine the cause of death.