Page 416 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

414 ANIMAL LIFE

ORDER CETACEA ORDER CETACEA
Indo-Pacific Common Bottlenose
Humpback Dolphin Dolphin

Sousa chinensis Tursiops truncatus
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1
1
LENGTH 6 / 2–9 / 4 ft LENGTH 6 / 2–13 ft
(2–2.8 m) (2–4 m)
WEIGHT Up to 440 lb WEIGHT Up to 1,450 lb
(200 kg) (650 kg)
HABITAT Coastal waters, HABITAT Coastal waters,
lagoons, estuaries open oceans
DISTRIBUTION Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, DISTRIBUTION Temperate and tropical regions
and southwestern Pacific worldwide
This warm-water dolphin gets its A familiar sight worldwide in
name from the conspicuous hump marine aquariums, the common
beneath its dorsal fin. Generally seen bottlenose dolphin is a playful
alone or in pairs, it shows a wide and inquisitive mammal, with
variation in color—some specimens a habit of interacting with
are bluish gray, while others are almost humans in the wild. Its color varies
white, particularly when they age. from slate blue to light gray, with a
It feeds on fish, octopus, and squid, paler underside. It has a pronounced
and it rarely strays far from the shore. beak, a slightly hooked dorsal fin,
A similar species exists off the Atlantic and up to 25 pairs of peglike teeth
coast of Africa, and both species roll in each jaw.
their bodies when they breathe, instead These dolphins are highly sociable
of jumping clear of the water. and often travel in groups of several
dozen. Like other dolphins, they find
their prey by echolocation, but they
also use sound to communicate,
using a complex repertoire of whistles,
clicks, and squeaks. They frequently
ride the bow-waves of ships, and they
also play with human swimmers.
Females give birth to a single calf
every 2−3 years.

ORDER CETACEA ORDER CETACEA Its markings are extremely variable, ORDER CETACEA
and it is only in recent years that
Long-snouted Spinner Short-beaked it has been separated from the similar Risso’s Dolphin
Long-beaked common dolphin, which
Dolphin Common Dolphin has a more restricted distribution. Grampus griseus
Often seen in large groups, this LENGTH 10–14 ft
dolphin is highly active and acrobatic, (3–4.3 m)
Stenella longirostris Delphinus delphis
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LENGTH 4 / 4–7 ft LENGTH 5 / 2–8 ft and is among the fastest swimmers of WEIGHT Up to 1,100 lb
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(1.3–2.1 m) (1.7–2.4 m)
all cetaceans, with a top speed of (500 kg)
WEIGHT Up to 165 lb WEIGHT Up to 240 lb about 25 mph (40 kph). HABITAT Deep water
(75 kg) (110 kg)
Short-beaked common dolphins
HABITAT Open oceans HABITAT Coastal waters, usually feed far out to sea, where they DISTRIBUTION Tropical and warm-temperate waters
open oceans
prey on squid and small fish. Adult worldwide
DISTRIBUTION Tropical and subtropical waters DISTRIBUTION Temperate, subtropical, and tropical females give birth every 2–3 years.
worldwide waters worldwide
This dolphin is one of the most Also known as the gray grampus, this
common cetaceans and has a global large dolphin is typically blackish blue
Graceful, energetic, and highly The short-beaked common dolphin population estimated at several million. with a square head that is quite different
acrobatic, this dolphin gets its name is beautifully marked with a complex However, like other oceanic dolphins, from the pointed heads of beaked
from its habit of leaping out of the pattern of colored bands and has it is threatened by both the expansion dolphins. Close up, this dolphin’s skin
water and then spinning around up to inspired artists since classical times. of fishing and deliberate hunting. often appears scarred, especially in
seven times before splashing back into older individuals. Scarring is mainly
the sea. Smaller than many other due to fights between rivals, but some
oceanic dolphins, it is dark gray with of it is due to encounters with squid,
white on its underside—the white which make up a large proportion of
varies from a small patch to a wide zone its prey. When feeding, it can dive for
extending from its head almost to its up to half an hour. Risso’s dolphin is
tail. It has up to 64 pairs of teeth in less sociable than many other dolphins,
each jaw, and it feeds on fish, often far but it often swims alongside ships.
out to sea. Females give birth to a single
calf, suckling it for up to two years.
Spinner dolphins are sociable,
swimming in groups that range in size
OCEAN LIFE These dolphins and their close
from less than 50 to several thousand
and often traveling with other species.
relatives often swim in large groups
above shoals of yellowfin tuna, and
thousands are drowned every year in
purse-seine nets, which are intended
to catch tuna but trap other marine
life indiscriminately.