Scientific Name:
Lagenorhyncus acutus
Size:
7-9 feet
Weight: 400-600 pounds
Speed: up to about 20 mph
Status: Common
Adopt a
Dolphin!
These colorful dolphins have a
white stripe running down their gray side, with a yellowish-tan patch
near the tail. They are highly social, gathering in pods of several
individuals to several hundred. They are social animals, and are
sometimes found traveling with other species, such as fin whales and
pilot whales. They are also fairly social around boats, often
"surfing" in the wave created by the boat as it cruises along.
This wave helps them swim more efficiently.
Feeding
 Atlantic
white-sided dolphins are Odontocetes (toothed whales). They have
cone-shaped teeth that they
use to eat larger fish, such
as herring and squid, which they catch one at a time and swallow whole.
They use echolocation to help find their food. Dolphins
have a melon-shaped organ in their head that emits high-pitched
frequencies that bounce off of solid objects and are received back to
give the dolphin information about the prey and its surrounding
environment. They may also
use these sounds to help corral prey.
Breeding/Calving
The gestation period of female
white-sided dolphins is about 11 months, and most calves are born in
June and July. Calves are 3
feet long when born. The
calf learns about dolphin life from its mother and other adults in the
pod, then it is weaned after about 18 months.
Male calves
stay with the breeding herd until it is about two years old, then
are driven away to lead a solitary life
until it finds another pod or forms another group with juveniles from
its own pod. Female calves remain within
their mother's pod. Females have a
calf about every 3 years.
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