A marine wildlife charity has provided a fascinating insight into the island’s resident dolphins Moonlight and Starlight.

Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch (MWDW) has confirmed that members of Moonlight and Starlight’s family, including her son and grandson, are living just across the water in the Firth of Clyde, where they have been resident since 2020.

Mother Moonlight and daughter Starlight first appeared in Manx waters in September 2019, when Moonlight moved here from the east coast of Scotland population of bottlenose dolphins.

She gave birth to Starlight in Gansey Bay with three other adult dolphins were present at the time.

The group travelled round the coast to Peel, were they stayed until January 2020 when Starlight was aged four months.

In 2025, Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch was contacted by the Clyde Marine Mammal Group (CMMG) when, together, they discovered Moonlight’s son Lunar and two other dolphins – Zephyr and Zulu – were present when Moonlight gave birth.

Only 80 miles north of the Isle of Man is the Firth of Clyde in South Ayrshire. MWDW and CMMG identified Moonlight was part of the pod in 2019 before moving to the island coast to give birth to Starlight.

The resident Clyde group now consists of a total of five dolphins which includes Moonlight’s son Lunar who is now a dad which means Moonlight is a grandmother.

MWDW also looked into the behaviour of Moonlight and Starlight and how they share traits with members of the pod they were once part of.

Jen Adams , of MWDW, said: ‘The Clyde group displays very similar behavioural traits to that of Moonlight and Starlight, including avoidance of other dolphins), but close interactions with humans, often approaching swimmers, kayakers and paddleboarders and piloting boats in and out of the harbour.

‘In bottlenose dolphins, specific behavioural traits are known to be passed down from one generation to the next. These include social, play, and hunting techniques. These learned behaviours are a sign of high intelligence and strong social bonds.’

Moonlight was first identified in the Moray Firth back in 1996 when she was six years old. In March 2019, Moonlight, her two sons, Lunar and Shadow and around 30 other dolphins left their home.

Some went to other parts of Scotland, some to Ireland and a few to as far south as the English Channel. Some even went to the Netherlands.

Because of their strong social instinct, bottlenose dolphins often seek out human interaction, all too often becoming habituated within a particular area such as a bay or harbour.

MWDW staff often get asked how long will Moonlight and Starlight stay around the island.

‘We simply don’t know,’ Jen said. ‘They will stay for as long as they choose to. What we can tell you is that they seem very happy here, with an abundance of food and relatively little boat disturbance.

‘It is imperative to remember that we are guests in their habitat. We must operate all marine vessels including boats, jet skis, kayaks and paddleboards, responsibly. We must not touch or attempt to hold on to the dolphins if they approach us while swimming.

‘It is our duty as the Manx community to ensure the Isle of Man remains a safe place for them to thrive for as long as they remain here.’