STUNNING images show a dolphin appearing to fly after it made a magnificent 12ft leap out of the water.
Amateur wildlife photographer Kenny MacLeod captured the dolphin at the precise moment it reached the top of its graceful arc through the air.
And the effect has led some viewers to dub the creature a “pilot whale”.
Kenny, 56, said it was the highest he had ever seen a bottlenose dolphin jump.
The sequence of pictures was taken at Chanonry Point, near Fortrose in the Highlands.
Kenny, from Nairn, Highlands, said: “The dolphins come to within a few metres of the shore and it’s a great place to watch this wonderful displays.
“This is certainly the highest I have seen a dolphin breech. The rule of thumb is that the dolphins appear usually about one hour after the low tide. But as everything else in nature it can be very high or miss.”
Hundreds of social media users have commented on the images, which Kenny captioned: “Come fly with me.”
Steven Lamont said; “He thinks he’s a pilot whale!”
Mervyn Rendall commented: “Dolphin airways.”
Bottlenose dolphins communicate through squeaks and whistles using their blowhole and slapping their tale on the water to signal to other dolphins.
They can weigh more than half a ton and can grow to 3.9m and they enjoy interacting with humans and boats, though sometimes they risk colliding with the vessels.
The Moray coast is not only famous for bottlenose dolphins, but also harbour porpoises and even whales, especially the Minke whale.
