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Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Subphylum
Vertebrata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Cetacea
Suborder
Odontoceti
Family
Delphinidae
Species
Lagenorhynchus acutus
Lagenorhynchus acutus
Atlantic white-sided dolphin
2010/02/07 03:19:05.643 US/Eastern
By Holly Kopack
Species:
Lagenorhynchus acutus
Geographic Range
The distribution of the Atlantic white-sided dolphin is the cool temperate and subartic waters of the north Atlantic Ocean from southern Greenland to Massachusetts, and from the British Isles to western Norway. It has also been reported as far as the sourthern Barents Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Azores, and the Adriatic Sea.
Habitat
Lagenorhynchus acutus
is typically found in cool pelagic waters, where its major predators are killer whales and sharks. Since it usually prefers the open water,
L. acutus
is not commonly seen from shore. It mostly occupies waters of 40 to 270 m in depth around the continental shelf.
L. acutus
seems to prefer a surface temperature between 6 to 20 degrees Celsius and areas with low salinity.
Physical Description
Mass
180 to 250 kg; avg. 215 kg
(396 to 550 lbs; avg. 473 lbs)
Lagenorhynchus acutus
ranges from 2.5 to 3 meters in length. The pectoral fin is about 30 cm in length and the dorsal fin may be up to 50 cm in height. The tail flukes range from 30 to 60 cm across. Females may be considerably smaller than males and average only 182 kg.
The dorsal region of
L. acutus
is black, while its sides are gray. The ventral regions are white from the lower jaw to just past the anus. Within the gray sides are yellowish white patches, which are probably its most distinct characteristic (Minasian et al., 1984). Black rings around the eyes are also present. The dorsal fin is tall, sharply curved and pointed at the tip, giving the species the name acutus or, Latin for "sharp".
Lagenorhynchus acutus
has a stocky body with sickle shaped fins and a thick tail stock. The beak is prominent with 30 to 40 pairs of pointed teeth.
(
Minasian, Balcomb, and Foster, 1984
)
Reproduction
Breeding interval
The calving interval is 2 to 3 years.
Number of offspring
1 (average)
Gestation period
10 months (average)
Time to weaning
18 months (average)
Age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
12 years (average)
Information on the mating system of these animals is not available.
The gestation period is about 10 months long. The calves are usually born in June and July. There is usually one young per a birth, averaging about 25 kg and 107 to 122 cm in size when born. The young are usually weaned at 18 months. The calving interval is 2 to 3 years.
Males become sexually mature between 2.1 and 2.4 m in length. Females become sexually mature between 1.94 and 2.22 m in length, which probably corresponds to 12 years of age (Klinowska, 1991). The maximum longevity of males is probably 22 years, whereas female longevity is 27 years.
(
Klinowska, 1991
)
Behavior
Lagenorhynchus acutus
is a gregarious species and may be found in groups of up to 1,000 individuals. However, groups of only 6 to 8 individuals are more common off of Canada and in other places along the western Atlantic. Inshore herds are also small, ranging from about 10 to 60 animals. It seems that immature animals and newly mature males are absent from larger breeding groups, which may indicate some form of segregation among the herds (Atlantic white-sided dolphin, 1999).
Lagenorhynchus acutus
typically dives for less than five minutes. These animals are sometimes seen riding the bow waves of larger species.
Mass strandings of
L. acutus
are common on northern Altantic shores. The strandings sometimes occur in groups of 3 to 15 or more animals, although they usaully occur in pairs (National Marine Life Center, 1999). The last major stranding of
L. acutus
occured on Cape Cod in 1995, when approximately 30 animals were beached on the shore (Dolphin Death Toll Tops 70 on Cape Cod, 1998).
Lagenorhynchus acutus
does not usually survive strandings (Knapp, 1999).
Lagenorhynchus acutus
appears to be very nomadic but, there are no data showing a set of seasonal migrations. The distribution patterns may correspond to abundance of important prey species (Klinowska, 1991).
(
Klinowska, 1991
)
Food Habits
The prey of
L. acutus
is usually a combination of shrimp, smelt, hake, squid and herring. These animals may separate from their school in order to feed more efficiently.
Animal Foods:
fish; mollusks; aquatic crustaceans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
A small number are caught in fishing nets each year, causing damage to fishing productivity.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Occasionally,
L. acutus
is captured deliberately by fisherman off Newfoundland, Norway, and the British Isles, presumably to be sold in fresh meat markets (Nowak, 1999). Historically,
L. acutus
has also been hunted by Greenland. The Faeroe Islands take hundreds of
L. acutus
every year, by driving large schools ashore (CETACEA:
Lagenorhynchus acutus
, 1999). Unlike many other dolphin species,
L. acutus
has not been reported to be in captivity (Atlantic white-sided dolphin, 1999).
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List:
[link]
:
Lower Risk - Least Concern.
US Federal List:
[link]
:
No special status.
Data on the population size of
L. acutus
is scarce but, the species is usually considered regionally abundant. The main threats today come from pollutants and entanglement in fishing gear (Whale and Dolphin Species Information, Humpback Whale and others, 1999).
For More Information
Find
Lagenorhynchus acutus
information at
Contributors
Holly Kopack (author), University of Michigan.
Phil Myers (editor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.
Nancy Shefferly (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.
References
Parker, S.
Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals
. New York, St. Louis and San Francisco: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
Klinowska, M. 1991.
Dolphins, Porpoises and Whales of the World
. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U. K.: IUCN.
Minasian, S., K. Balcomb, L. Foster. 1984.
The World's Whales
. Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Books.
Nowak, R. 1999.
Walker's Mammals of the World 6th Edition
. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Reeves, R., S. Leatherwood. 1994.
Dolphins, Porpoises, and Whales
. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
2010/02/07 03:19:07.147 US/Eastern
To cite this page:
Kopack, H. 2000. "Lagenorhynchus acutus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 09, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Lagenorhynchus_acutus.html.
Disclaimer:
The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource
written largely by and for college students
. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.
Other formats:
OWL
Sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative,
the Homeland Foundation and the
University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology
.
This material is based upon work supported by the
National Science Foundation
under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151.
The ADW Team gratefully acknowledges their support.
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