Basking shark ( Cetorhinus maximus), minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata), dolphin ( Delphinidae), beaked whale, and leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea) have also been recorded.
The surrounding waters have abundant wildlife with many Grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus). Red-billed chough ( Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus) can also be seen. Among the breeding birds are European storm petrel ( Hydrobates pelagicus), northern gannet, northern fulmar ( Fulmarus glacialis), Manx shearwater ( Puffinus puffinus), black-legged kittiwake ( Rissa tridactyla), common guillemot ( Uria aalge), razorbill ( Alca torda) and Atlantic puffin ( Fratercula arctica) (with 4,000 or more puffins on Great Skellig alone). Wildlife īoth of the Skellig islands are known for their seabird colonies, and together compose one of the most important seabird sites in Ireland, both for the population size and for the species diversity.
During the 2014 nesting season, black-legged kittiwake chicks in nests were swept into the sea by the downdraught from a helicopter and devoured by gulls. With a sixth-century Christian monastery perched at 160 m (520 ft) above sea level on a ledge close to the top of the lower peak, Great Skellig is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.īirdwatch Ireland were concerned that the Irish government allowed filming on a seabird sanctuary without third party consent. Also known as Great Skellig ( Sceilig Mhichíl in Irish ), this is the larger of the two islands, with two peaks rising to over 230 m (750 ft) above sea level.
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