Aggressive dolphin tried to push swimmer underwater off the coast of Ireland

Smiling assassin? A bottlenose dolphin is said to have deliberately pushed a man under water who was swimming in the sea in County Cork, Ireland. A local group said: 'Do not confuse the shape of their jawline with a smile. They can cause serious injury to humans and have killed in the past.' A stock image is pictured

With their friendly faces and playful natures, it may seem that wild dolphins are always friendly.

But a bottlenose dolphin has been reported to have deliberately pushed a man underwater while he was swimming in the sea off County Cork, in the Republic of Ireland. The animal is said to have 'lashed out' at the swimmer twice with its tail

, prompting experts to warn swimmers to keep out of the water near the large predators.

The incident occurred on July 26 off Sherkin Ireland, according to a report made to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) which stated that the animal acted 'aggressively'.

Known as Clet, the adult bottlenose dolphin is thought to have come to the area from France, after spending time off the coasts of South Devon, Cornwall and Wales.

The IWDG said that Clet is a non-social solitary dolphin who does not seek out and engage with swimmers.

The group's log book reads: 'We are aware of a report of an adult swimmer nearby in wetsuit and mask, from a yacht at anchor,

being aggressively pushed underwater by the dolphin.

They got a bit of a shock as a result.'

The IWDG has now warned swimmers to exercise 'extreme caution' when attempting to interact with the powerful creatures and to respect the space of 'this very large, apex predator'.

'IWDG's advice is not to get into the water with it, and to enjoy the animal from the safety of the shore or from one of the local whale watch boats or licenced ferries.'

'Bottlenose dolphins are not cute and cuddly, they are not our "friends" and nor do they benefit in any meaningful or long term way from interacting with humans.'

Clet has been observed swimming close to boats in the area, but experts claim that he is solitary and does not enjoy contact with humans.

The incident happened on July 26 off Sherkin Ireland (pictured on the map), according to a report made to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, which stated that the animal acted 'aggressively'

The group told swimmers: 'Do not confuse the shape of their jawline with a smile. They can and do cause serious injury to humans and have killed in the past.'

It is not known exactly why dolphins attack humans or large animals like porpoises as, unlike sharks, they do not eat their victim.

An expert from the IWDG told

BBC

News that it is impossible to known if the dolphin was deliberately attacking the man, or if it was trying to play with him.

Dolphins often engage in rough play, holding each other down and giving chase, so it is possible that the dolphin was playing, but some dolphin experts claim that the creatures sometimes attack humans when they are feeling amorous.

Bottlenose dolphins can display violent mating practices where they act in groups to chase and mate with a female of their own species over weeks, whether she is interested or not.

Male dolphins are also known to fight and kill rivals and offspring, suggesting they could also turn on humans mistakenly.

Trevor Spradlin, a U.S. Federal dolphin expert told

The New York Times

that dozens of bites to humans have been reported and people have been pulled under the water by bottlenose dolphins, which can measure 12ft (3.7 metres) long and have sharp teeth to tear fish and squid.

Clet the dolphin (not pictured) is said to have 'lashed out' at the swimmer twice with its tail, prompting experts to warn swimmers to keep out of the water. Experts say it is impossible to tell if the animal was playing or deliberately attacking someone

He said: 'A woman who fed a pair of dolphins and then jumped into the water to swim with them was bitten. ''I literally ripped my left leg out of its mouth,'' she said during her one-week stay in the hospital'.

Just last summer, two women were taken to hospitals with injuries after they were attacked by a female dolphin known as Dusty, off the coast of County Clare and there have been frequent reports of the animals attacking porpoises in harbours.

'Such interactions between bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises are invariably aggressive and routinely result in the death of the porpoise, by blunt traumas from ramming, which can result in serious internal injuries,' the IWDG said.

'They [the interactions] are likely to be a common occurrence in all Irish inshore waters, where the ranges of these two coastal species overlap.'

Clet has been spotted ramming a porpoise and the group said it is 'another good reason why 'people should not swim with him or any "solitary" bottlenose dolphin....they are wild animals that should be respected as such'.

A dramatic rise in killer attacks by dolphins on porpoises (shown) is baffling scientists in one of Britain's main breeding seas. The calm waters of Cardigan Bay have been turned red in recent weeks by bottlenose dolphins killing smaller porpoises during deadly clashes

ALARMING RISE IN FATAL ATTACKS ON PORPOISES BAFFLES EXPERTS



A dramatic rise in killer attacks by dolphins on porpoises is baffling scientists in one of Britain's main breeding seas.



The calm waters of Cardigan Bay in Wales turned red in July as bottlenose dolphins killed smaller porpoises.



Marine scientists are struggling to understand why the attacks have been on the rise - with three out of the four attacks proving fatal.



Researchers at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC) said they have always known dolphins attack porpoises, but that the frequency of recent attacks is alarming.



Experts have reported stranded porpoises, and floating bodies with punctured lungs and other internal injuries, inflicted by dolphins.



People have witnessed bottlenose dolphins repeatedly forcing porpoises under water, bashing them and throwing them in the air.



Cardigan Bay is home to Europe's largest resident population of dolphins - who share the sheltered waters with smaller harbour porpoises.



Scientist Sarah Perry said she had been left baffled by the recent spate of deadly attacks.



'One possibility is that they see the porpoises as competitors for food, especially if there's a shortage of prey in the area,' she said.



'Although porpoises normally go for smaller prey, dolphins will eat anything. However there's been no other indication recently of any shortage.'



Another theory is that a low number of females is prompting the attacks by males.



Male dolphins have been known to kill young dolphins in order to mate with the calf's mother. Porpoises are similar in size to a dolphin calf.