| Atlantic White-sided Dolphin | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Size comparison against an average human
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| Lagenorhynchus acutus (Gray, 1828) |
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 Atlantic White-sided Dolphin range
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The Atlantic White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) is a distinctively coloured dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. John Edward Gray ( 12 February 1800 &ndash 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. The year 1828 ( MDCCCXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera.
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Taxonomy
The Atlantic White-sided Dolphin was named by Gray in 1828. The specific name acutus comes from the Latin for 'pointed' and refers to the sharply pointed dorsal fin. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. A dorsal fin is a Fin located on the backs of some Fishes Whales Dolphins and Porpoises as well as the (extinct L. acutus is one of six oceanic dolphins in the genus Lagenorhynchus. Lagenorhynchus is a Genus in the order Cetacea, traditionally containing six species the White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus
Physical description
The dolphin is slightly larger than most other oceanic dolphins. It is just over a metre in length at birth, growing to about 2. 8m (males) and 2. 5m (females) at maturity. It weighs between 200kg and 230kg once fully-grown. Females reach sexual maturity at between 6 and 12 years, and males between 7 and 11 years. The gestation period is 11 months and lactation lasts for about a year and a half - both typical figures for dolphins. Individuals are known to live for up to 22 years (males) and 27 years (females).
The key distinguishing feature is the white to pale yellow patch found behind the dorsal fin of the dolphin on each side. This variation in colour to the Atlantic White-sided Dolphin is unique amongst the mixtures of white, greys and blues of other pelagic cetaceans. The Order Cetacea (sɪˈteɪʃiə L cetus, whale includes Whales Dolphins and Porpoises Cetus is The rest of the body's coloration is well demarcated: the chin, throat and belly are white; the flippers, dorsal fin and back are dark grey to black with the exception of the yellow patch; there is a further white patch below the dorsal fin, lying above a light grey stripe that runs from the beak, above the eye and down to the tail stock. A dorsal fin is a Fin located on the backs of some Fishes Whales Dolphins and Porpoises as well as the (extinct
Dolphin group sizes vary by location, with groups averaging 60 in number close to the Newfoundland shores, but rather smaller east of Iceland. Newfoundland — ˈn(jufənˌlænd (Terre-Neuve Talamh an Éisc — is a large island 15 km off the east coast of Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( From the analysis of the stomach contents of stranded animals, fish such as herring and mackerel and squid appear to form the species' main diet. In Human anatomy, the stomach is a J-shaped hollow muscular organ of the Gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of Digestion, following Herring are small Oily fish of the genus Clupea found in the shallow temperate waters of the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, the North Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of Fish, mostly but not exclusively from the family Scombridae. Squid are marine Cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species The Atlantic White-sided Dolphin is fairly acrobatic and keen to interact with boats[1], however it is not as wildly gregarious as the White-beaked and Common Dolphins. The White-beaked Dolphin ( Lagenorhynchus albirostris) is a Marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae (dolphins in the suborder of the Odontoceti The Common Dolphin is the name given to up to three species of Dolphin making up the Genus Delphinus.
Population and distribution
The species is endemic to the North Atlantic Ocean. Areas of particularly high population density include the shores of Newfoundland and Cape Cod, the triangular area of sea between the United Kingdom, Iceland and Greenland and the North Sea. Cape Cod (or simply the Cape to most New Englanders is a Peninsula nearly coextensive with Barnstable County Massachusetts and forming the easternmost The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat meaning "Land of the Greenlanders" Grønland is a self-governing Danish Province located between the The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The total population is believed to be 200-300,000 individuals.
Human interaction
Historically, Atlantic White-sided Dolphins were killed in drives conducted from Norway and Newfoundland. These have ceased in recent years, although they still occur to a lesser extent from the Faroe Islands, where the meat and blubber are in high regard as food. The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse [2]
Reported catches in the years from 1995 to 1998 were 157, 152, 350, and 438, respectively (Bloch and Olsen 1998, 1999; Bloch et al. 1997, 2000). In 2002, the number reported killed was 774. [3]
References
- Cetacean Specialist Group (1996). Lagenorhynchus acutus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Atlantic White-sided Dolphin by Frank Cipriano, Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals pp49-51 ISBN 0-12-551340-2
- National Audubon Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World ISBN 0-375-41141-0
- Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals ISBN 0-12-551340-2
- ^ Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society - Atlantic white-sided dolphin
- ^ UMSITINGEN: 10JUNR2003 report by the Faroe Islands' Prime Minister's Office, entitled: WHALES & WHALING IN THE FAROE ISLANDS
- ^ UMSITINGEN: 10JUNR2003 report by the Faroe Islands' Prime Minister's Office, entitled: WHALES & WHALING IN THE FAROE ISLANDS
External links
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