Two dolphins have been found washed up dead on a beach in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
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They were found at Freshwater West Beach near Castlemartin.
A man made the discovery while visiting the beach and saw one of the dolphins was covered in blood, which may have been inflicted by birds pecking the body.
The cause of the creatures' death is not known but common dolphins which are known to be friendly and sociable creatures are often killed in nets at this time of year due to the overlap between dolphins and fisheries.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Trust said there had been many reports of strandings already this winter and that last year was a record year for the accidental deaths.
A large cause of these deaths was said to be the creatures becoming accidentally entangled in industrial trawler nets used by fishermen which are thought to be the biggest threat to the species.
Common dolphins are usually around 2.6-2.7m long and typically travel in large groups of around 10 - 50. The species are often spotted breaking the water's surface at incredibly high speed.
People were left amazed last summer when hundreds of dolphins were spotted in the waters off Swansea and Pembrokeshire.
But, sadly, there have also been a number of sightings of common dolphins washing up on the Welsh coastline .
Hundreds of dolphins seen in Gower and Pemrokeshire:
A spokesperon for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Trust said: "Without a professional examination (a ‘necropsy’) it’s not possible to tell the cause of death. But the wounds may have been caused after the dolphin died, as it’s quite common for birds to peck at the bodies of stranded whales and dolphins."
"Accidental deaths in nets is the biggest threat to whales and dolphins around the world, killing and harming hundreds of thousands of individuals every year. Common dolphins like this one are often killed in nets, and strandings peak at this time of year due to overlap between dolphins and the fisheries, including static gillnets as well as trawlers.
"Last year was a record year for strandings, particularly in Cornwall and the Bay of Biscay, and there have been lots of reports of strandings already this winter.
"Anyone who finds a stranded whale or dolphin should alert the CSIP (Cetaceans Strandings Investigation Programme http://ukstrandings.org/how-to-report-a-stranding/ ) with details of the location."
