Lissodelphis borealis

32. Northern Right-whale Dolphin Lissodelphis borealis French: Dauphin a dos lisse / German: Nordlicher Glattdelfin / Spanish: Delfin sin aleta septentrional Other common names: \White-bellied Right-whale Dolphin Taxonomy. Delphinapterus borealis Peale, 1848, “North Pacific Ocean, latitude 46° 6’ BO...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Russell A. Mittermeier, Don E. Wilson
Format: Other/Unknown Material
Language:unknown
Published: Lynx Edicions 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:https://zenodo.org/record/6611075
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6611075
Description
Summary:32. Northern Right-whale Dolphin Lissodelphis borealis French: Dauphin a dos lisse / German: Nordlicher Glattdelfin / Spanish: Delfin sin aleta septentrional Other common names: \White-bellied Right-whale Dolphin Taxonomy. Delphinapterus borealis Peale, 1848, “North Pacific Ocean, latitude 46° 6’ BO” N., 134° 5 W. from Greenwich,” 10° W of Astoria, Oregon, USA. This species is monotypic. Distribution. Temperate and subarctic waters of the N Pacific Ocean from ¢.30° N to c.50° N. Descriptive notes. Total length 310 cm (males) and 230 cm (females); weight up to 115 kg. Neonates are typically 80- 100 cm long. The Northern Right-whale Dolphin has slender, torpedo-shaped body, with no dorsal fin and very shallow tailstock. Flippers and flukes are small and slim, and beak is short with broad base. Skin is mostly black, with white streak running along ventral body from throat all the way to fluke notch. This white streak widens to cover whole chest between flippers. There is small, white patch on chin, gray patches on upper flukes, and white patches on lower flukes. Young Northern Right-whale Dolphins have more muted color pattern than adults and dark areas tend to be paler gray. Some populations are characterized by a “swirl” morph; these individuals have more extensive white coloration that extends onto lower flanks and face and may swirl onto upper surface of flippers. There are 37-54 pairs of conical teeth in each jaw. Habitat. Prefer cool, deep, offshore waters at or beyond continental shelves, but also areas where deep wateris close to a coast. Northern Right-whale Dolphins may move beyond their typical distribution as far south as Baja California and, in the north, as far as the Gulf of Alaska and the northern Sea ofJapan. They are most abundant at sea-surface temperatures of 8-9°C. Food and Feeding. In the central North Pacific Ocean, lanternfish (Myctophidae) make up 89% of the diet of the Northern Right-whale Dolphin. In this area, it co-occurs with the Pacific White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus ...