Dolphin with ‘thumbs’ is spotted off Greece: Scientists believe aberration could be down to inbreeding

• The encounter with the unique mammal took place in July in the Gulf of Corinth

Stunning images have emerged of a dolphin sporting a pair of hook-shaped ‘thumbs’ protruding from its fins which have captivated and amazed researchers in equal measure.

The rare encounter took place in July, when researchers from the Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute stumbled upon a striped dolphin with the strange deformities in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece.

Alexandros Frantzis, the scientific coordinator and president of the Institute, snapped the pictures of the creature’s unique morphology.

Speaking to Live Science, Frantzis said that in the 30 years of conducting surveys and monitoring stranded dolphins in Greece, this was the first time such an anomaly had been observed in the open sea.

Stunning images have emerged of a dolphin sporting a pair of hook-shaped ‘thumbs’ protruding from its fins

The peculiar flipper might be attributed to rare and irregular genes resulting from continuous interbreeding within the isolated population

Despite the unusual appearance of its flippers, the dolphin seemingly had no issues integrating with its pod and engaged in typical behaviours such as swimming, leaping, and playing with fellow dolphins.

This led Frantzis to speculate that the odd deformity could not be a sign of illness or malaise.

Instead, he said the peculiar flipper might be attributed to rare and irregular genes resulting from continuous interbreeding within the isolated population of approximately 1,300 striped dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth.

Experts supported his theory, suggesting that the defect is a consequence of an altered genetic program during the dolphin’s development as a calf given that the peculiarity appeared to affect both flippers.

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