AN UNUSUAL fish rarely spotted in Dorset was found washed up on a beach in Purbeck.

A number of boar fish have been found dead on beaches across the South West recently, including one that was discovered in Kimmeridge.

According to marine biologists, an average of around two a year wash up across the whole of the region.

The brightly-coloured boar fish, also known as the Zulu fish, is most commonly found around the west coast of Britain, but populations also exist in the South West.

The fish feed on small crustaceans and marine worms, which they can suck up from the seabed using their extendable, tube-like mouth. They generally avoid very shallow waters and often live at depths of up to 2,300ft (700m) in the Atlantic.

They typically grow between 15 and 20cm in size and have a thin, oval-shaped body with strong, spiky spines.

Sally Welbourn, of Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: “This fish was found washed up at Kimmeridge. They are more commonly found in deeper water offshore, so it is unusual to find it along the Dorset coastline. Their size, shape and colour make them an unusual sighting in Dorset.”

Three boar fish have also been reported washed up on the Isles of Scilly, as well as one in Newquay over a three-week period in March and April.

Marine biologist Douglas Herdson, from Marine Fish Information Services, told the BBC the reason for several sightings in such a short time was a "mystery" and it was "very rare" to see them as far east as Dorset.

"The ones seen on our beaches may be discards from trawlers, though they have been found alive before in a rockpool in Wembury, Plymouth, and in a pool on Whitsand Bay, Cornwall," he added.