This is the heartbreaking moment an adult dolphin carries a dead calf through the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida.

Footage shows the adult dolphin pushing the dead body with its snout as it swims at the surface in Indian Shores near the city of St. Petersburg on June 3.

The filmer told Newsflare: ''This calf was likely hit by a boat propeller. Many people assume that because dolphins are fast, they can get out of the way of power boats.''

''Even the adults get hit regularly but the calves are especially vulnerable since they can't swim very fast and have to surface a lot more frequently than the adults. 

''When you see dolphins, don't just blast right past them in your power boat like the boat in this video, go around and give them some space.''