A dog walker made a distressing discovery whilst out walking his pet on Moreton beach.
The remains of a porpoise were found washed up on the beach at approximately 7am on April 17. 45-year-old Georgie Lally came across the remains of the dead sea creature when out walking her dog and seven-year-old daughter.
She said: "I was just walking along the promenade and I spotted something. I thought it was a seal at first. When I got a better look, I could see it was a porpoise.
"It looked like it had just been washed up on the beach. I've never come across anything like it before."
Harbour porpoise are typically found in shallow coastal waters and live all around the British coast. They have a global population of approximately 700,000 and the majority are found in the Atlantic region of Europe, The Liverpool Echo reports.
They can live for up to 20 years in the wild - but hunting, pollution, overfishing and climate change are just some of the risks which threaten to cut short their lifespan.
In the UK, porpoises are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and under the Conservation Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996. Despite this, they are not considered a threatened species, and can frequently be seen in colder months, most commonly December and January.