Name: Peale’s Dolphin, Black-chinned Dolphin, Peale’s Black-chinned Dolphin, Dauphin De Peale, Lagenorhynque De Peale, Delfín Austral, Peale’s Porpoise, Southern Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus australis)
Length: 2.1 metres.
Weight: 115 kg.
Location: Southern tip of South America, Falkland Islands.
Conservation status: N/A, not enough data.
Diet: Squid, octopi, shrimp.
Appearance: Dark grey face and chin, black back with an off-white stripe splitting down to the sides. White “armpit” behind the pectoral fin. White belly. Small and pointed flippers and tail fin, with a notch in the middle of the tail fin. Short and rounded snout. Sickle-shaped dorsal fin.
How do Peale’s Dolphins feed?
Peale’s Dolphins generally feed in groups of up to about 30. However, they may form pods of up to 100 individuals that use group herding to take on large schools of fish. They are quite often associated with kelp beds.
Are Peale’s Dolphins social?
Peale’s Dolphins usually swim in pods of 5 to 20 individuals. They do join larger groups of up to 100 individuals during the summer and autumn, but this is a fairly rare occurrence. Often seen in the company of other species of dolphin, Peale’s Dolphins can be seen bow-riding or wake-surfing around boats and ships.
What are Peale’s Dolphins birthing rituals like?
Peale’s Dolphins breeding season occurs from October through April. They usually give birth to a single calf after a gestation period of 10 to 12 months. Calves measure about 1 metre in length. The calf will feed on its mother’s milk for up to 1 ½ years.
How long do Peale’s Dolphins live?
Dolphins in general live an average of 25 years in the wild, topping out at 40 years. There is insufficient information specific to Peale’s Dolphins.
How many Peale’s Dolphins are there today?
There are no official estimates of Peale’s Dolphin populations.
Do Peale’s Dolphins have any natural predators?
There isn’t enough information available to tell if Peale’s Dolphins have any significant natural predators. However, they are in constant danger from fishing expeditions and pollution.
3 Additional Profound Peale’s Dolphin Facts
- Peale’s Dolphins are the only dolphin outside of the Cephalorhynchus genus (Commerson’s, Chilean, Heaviside’s, and Hector’s Dolphins) that don’t whistle.
- Peale’s Dolphins are the largest of the three species found in the genus Lagenorhynchus that are found in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The species is named after Titian Ramsay Peale, an American explorer, artist, and naturalist who first noted the species in 1848.
