Marine Creature of the Month June '19

Marine Creature of the Month

Southern Right Whale Dolphin

Photo from The Scuttlefish

Kingdom: Animalia

Class: Mammalia

Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC)

WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

If the name wasn't a give away, these dolphins live in the Southern Hemisphere. They are found in temperate waters across the globe, from coastal Chile to waters near New Zealand. They have seen sighted often around the Faulkland Islands and even in the Indian Ocean. Their range is often associated with the cooler currents in this region. 

WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?

The Southern Right Whale Dolphin does not look like a traditional dolphin for it lacks a dorsal fin and a pronounced beak. They have slim, graceful bodies with dark tops and light underbellies. This is a common colouration for aquatic creatures because it provides good camouflage against predation from above and below. The Southern Right Whale Dolphin has a two distinct colours rather than a faded blend which is more common. Their flippers are white, small, and curved while their tails are dark. Like most of their defining features, its tail is small too and has a notch between the lobes. These dolphins grow up to 1.8-2.9m (6-9.5ft) and can weigh between 60-100kg (130-220lbs). They display sexual dimorphism, in that the females tend to be larger. 

Photo from Flickr

HOW DO THEY LIVE?

The Southern Right Whale Dolphin is actually not well studied, so very little is known of their life cycle. We do know that they live in pods of, on average, fifty-two to a thousand! It is believed that they eat crustaceans, squid, big eye tuna, and myctophids. That last one is a small bioluminesent fish. It is debated whether they hunt on the surface or if they hunt deep under the water; they have been known to dive up to 200m (655ft) deep for up to six minutes. 

They do display typical behaviours we associate with other dolphin species; they breach, side slap, and lob-tail the water's surface. It is also believed that they use echo location like other species of dolphin, perhaps to help them hunt or see in the dark and navigation. They swim in long, low leaps and can move very fast. 

WHAT THREATENS THEM?

Thankfully, this species is not threatened in a drastic way. They are subject to ghost fishing and by-catching. Getting caught in abandoned nets means they drown. Ghost fishing is a serious problem in our seas, as is over fishing which is the other man made threat facing the Southern Right Whale Dolphins. Thankfully, they are a protected species so it is illegal to hunt them specifically. Natural threats include predation from sharks and orcas. 

Photo from Raggy Charters

FUN FACTS

• The Southern Right Whale Dolphins are also called Mealy-mouthed Porpoises. Because, you know, they can't have a straight forward, normal name.
• There is another species of Right Whale Dolphin, called the Northern Right Whale Dolphin. They live in the northern hemisphere.
• This dolphin is the only dolphin in the southern hemisphere which do not have a dorsal fin.
• They are named for their similarity to Right Whales, which also don't have dorsal fins.
• This species of dolphin are known for being sociable, they often interact with other species.

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