Dusky dolphin | |
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Size compared to an average human | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder: | Cetacea |
Family: | Delphinidae |
Genus: | Lagenorhynchus |
Species: | L. obscurus |
Binomial name | |
Lagenorhynchus obscurus (J. E. Gray, 1828) | |
Subspecies | |
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Dusky dolphin range |
The dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) is a dolphin found in coastal waters in the Southern Hemisphere. Its specific epithet is Latin for "dark" or "dim". It is very closely genetically related to the Pacific white-sided dolphin, but current scientific consensus holds they are distinct species. The dolphin's range is patchy, with major populations around South America, southwestern Africa, New Zealand, and various oceanic islands, with some sightings around southern Australia and Tasmania. The dusky dolphin prefers cool currents and inshore waters, but can also be found offshore. It feeds on a variety of fish and squid species and has flexible hunting tactics. The dusky dolphin is known for its remarkable acrobatics, having a number of aerial behaviours. The status of the dolphin is unknown, but it has been commonly caught in gill nets.
It is commonly thought that the dusky dolphin was first described by John Edward Gray in 1828 from stuffed skin and a single skull shipped from the Cape of Good Hope to the British Museum. Gray first described the species as Delphinus obscurus and reported that the animal was captured around the Cape of Good Hope by a Captain Haviside (often misspelt "Heaviside") and sent to the British Museum though the Royal College of Surgeons in 1827. [3]
However, Gray later wrote that a similar dolphin was described as Delphinus supercilious by French surgeons and naturalists René Primevère Lesson and Prosper Garnot from a specimen collected off the coast of Tasmania two years before his own classification. [4] Gray classified D. supercilious as a junior synonym of his D. obscurus. [3] Meanwhile, Charles Darwin also described what turned out to be this species as Delphinus fitzroyi from a specimen harpooned off Argentina in 1838. The dusky dolphin was reclassified as Prodelphinus obscurus in 1885 by British naturalist William Henry Flower, [5] [3] before gaining another name, Lagenorhynchus obscurus, from American biologist Frederick W. True in 1889. [6] [3]
The dusky dolphin and the Pacific white-sided dolphin are considered phylogenetically related species. Some scientists have proposed that they are the same species, but morphological and life-history evidence shows otherwise. [7] The two sister species diverged at around 1.9–3.0 million years ago. [8] Recent analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene indicates that the genus Lagenorhynchus, as traditionally conceived, is not a natural (monophyletic) group. [9] Another study finds that the dusky and the Pacific white-sided dolphin form the sister group to the (expanded) genus Cephalorhynchus . If this placement is accurate, a new genus name will need to be coined to accommodate these two species. [10] It has therefore been proposed that the dusky dolphin, together with Pacific white-sided, hourglass, and Peale's dolphin are moved to the resurrected genus Sagmatias . [11]
Three dusky dolphin subspecies have been classified: the African dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus obscurus), Fitzroy's dolphin (L. o. fitzroyi), and the Peruvian/Chilean dusky dolphin (L. o. posidonia). [12] [13] A fourth subspecies, L. o. superciliosus or the New Zealand dusky dolphin, has been proposed but is not currently accepted. [11] [14] Dusky dolphins from Argentina and southwest Africa separated 2000 generations ago from an ancestral Atlantic population and subsequently diverged without much gene flow. [8] Most populations have low genetic diversity, with the Peruvian population being an exception. [7] Hybrids of dusky dolphins have been suggested, including with a long-beaked common dolphin [15] and a southern right whale dolphin. [16]
The dusky dolphin is small to medium in length compared with other species in the family. There is significant variation in size among the different population areas. The largest dusky dolphins have been encountered off the coast of Peru, where they are up to 210 cm (6.9 ft) in length and 100 kg (220 lb) in mass. The size for dusky dolphins in New Zealand have been recorded to be a length range of 167–178 cm (66–70 in) and a weight range of 69–78 kg (152–172 lb) for females and a length range of 165–175 cm (65–69 in) and a weight range of 70–85 kg (154–187 lb) for males. [17]
Almost no sexual dimorphism occurs in this species, although males have more curved dorsal fins with broader bases and greater surface areas. [17] The back of the dolphin is dark grey or black, and the dorsal fin is distinctively two-toned; the leading edge matches the back in colour, but the trailing edge is a much lighter greyish white. The dusky dolphin has a long, light-grey patch on its fore side leading to a short, dark-grey beak. The throat and belly are white, [18] and the beak and lower jaw are dark grey. Two blazes of white colour run back on the body from the dorsal fin to the tail. Right between the white areas remains a characteristic thorn-shaped patch of dark colour, by which the species can easily be recognised. Aside from that, dusky dolphins may be confused with other members of their genus when observed at sea. It can be distinguished from the common dolphin, which has a more prominent and longer beak and yellow flank markings. [19] The skull of a dusky dolphin has a longer and narrower rostrum than that of an hourglass dolphin or Peale's dolphin of similar age and size. [20]
The dusky dolphin has a discontinuous semi-circumpolar range. The dolphins can be found off the coasts of western and southeastern South America, southwestern Africa, New Zealand, and some oceanic islands in the south Atlantic and Indian Ocean. They have also been sighted off southern Australia. [7] South American dolphins are particularly common from Peninsula Valdes to Mar de Plata. In comparison, they are uncommon in the Beagle Channel and the inshore waters of the Tierra del Fuego region. [21]
Dusky dolphins are found throughout New Zealand waters. The dolphin population in this area centres around East Cape and Cape Palliser on the North Island to Timaru and Oamaru on the South Island. [22] They are especially common in the cold waters of the Southland and Canterbury currents. [22] Off South America, they range from southern Peru to Cape Horn in the west and then up to around 36°S in the east, along with the Falkland Islandss. In Africa, the dusky dolphin ranges from Lobito Bay, Angola in the north to False Bay, South Africa in the south. [7] Within Australian waters, dusky dolphins have been recorded in colder waters of Kangaroo Island, eastern Tasmania, and Bass Strait, [19] although they are uncommon and those that are sighted there are possibly transients from New Zealand. [23] They are also found around Campbell, Auckland, and Chatham in the western South Pacific, Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic and Île Amsterdam, and Île Saint-Paul in the southern Indian Ocean. [24]
Dusky dolphins prefer cool, upwelling waters, as well as cold currents. They largely live in inshore waters and can be found up to the outer continental shelf and in similar zones in offshore islands. [22] They can travel up to 780 km, but do not appear to go on seasonal migrations. However, dolphins off Argentina and New Zealand move to and from shore daily and seasonally. [7] In Argentina, dusky dolphins associate closely with southern right whales and South American sea lions. [25] They have been found around bottlenose dolphins, but apparently do not interact with them, and may share feeding areas with Risso's dolphins. [25] They also associate with various seabirds, such as kelp gulls, cormorants, terns, shearwaters, petrels, and albatrosses. [25] In New Zealand, dusky dolphins mingle with common dolphins. [17] Dusky dolphins have also been observed with southern right whale dolphins and pilot whales off southwestern Africa. [26]
In general, three different types of sounds are produced by dolphins (and other toothed whales). These are click trains, which are made of numerous individual clicks, usually broadband signals that change from low value to high value quickly, [27] burst pulses, which are individual clicks with high repetition and can be heard by humans only as a buzzing sound, [28] and whistles, which are signals that are pure-tones and whose frequency varies depending on the time. Dusky dolphins produce all three sounds, but most commonly make burst pulses. [28] Whistling is more common when dusky dolphins mingle with other dolphin species such as common dolphins. [29] : 78–79 Their echolocation signals are quick and broadband, much like those other whistle-producing toothed whales. [29] : 95 They tend to have bimodal frequency spectra which peak between 40 and 50 kHz at low frequency and between 80 and 110 kHz at high frequency. [30] The species' echolocation signals are about 9–12 dB lower than for the larger white-beaked dolphin. [30]
Dusky dolphins mainly feed on fish and squid. Common fish species eaten include anchovies, lantern fish, pilchards, sculpins, hakes, horse mackerel, hoki and red cod, while squids preyed on include those of the genera Nototodarus , Todarodes and Loligo . [7] They are generally coordinated hunters. Their very flexible foraging strategies can change depending on the environment. [31] In certain parts of New Zealand, where deep oceanic waters meet the shore, dusky dolphins forage in deep scattering layers at night. [31] They arrive at the hunting site individually, but form groups when in the layer. [31] The dolphins use their echolocation to detect and isolate an individual prey. [30] Groups of foraging dolphins tend to increase when the layer is near the surface and decrease when it descends. [31]
When hunting in shallower waters in New Zealand and Argentina, dusky dolphins tend to forage during the day. The dolphins chase schools of fish or squid and herd them into stationary balls. [32] They may control the school with light reflected from their white bellies. [33] Dolphins herd prey against the surface, but also horizontally against the shore, a point of land, or the hull of a boat. [32] During these times, dusky dolphins are believed to increase prey availability for other predators, including other dolphins, seabirds, sharks, and pinnipeds. In Argentina, dusky dolphins may use bird aggregations to locate and herd prey. [25] Conversely, pinnipeds and sharks take advantage of the dolphin hunts. [34] Dusky dolphins are themselves preyed on by killer whales and large sharks. Dolphins avoid killer whales by swimming into shallower water. [25] Dusky dolphins are also susceptible to parasitism by certain nematode, cestode, and trematode species, mostly the genera Nasitrema and Anisakis , and Phyllobothrium delphini, Braunina cordiformis, and Pholeter gasterophilus. [35]
Dusky dolphins live in a fission-fusion society, with most group size increases occurring during foraging and decreases in group sizes occurring during resting and traveling. In the Golfo San José off the Valdes Peninsula, dolphins commonly switch between small traveling groups and large sociosexual groups, and encounter a variety of associates. Studies of dolphins off Kaikōura, New Zealand, showed the dolphins normally live in large groups that split into smaller subgroups. [34] These subgroups are composed of mating adults (mating groups), mothers with calves (nursery groups) and nonbreeding adults. [34] Dusky dolphins have a promiscuous mating system in which both males and females mate with multiple partners. Mating groups are generally made of around 10 males and a single female. [34] These mating groups can be found in both shallow and deep water but more often gather near shore. [36] : 162
In the mating groups, the males pursue a female in high-speed chases. Females seem to prefer males with great speed and agility over size, strength, or aggression. [36] : 164 : 175 Females may extend the chase as long as possible so only the best male remains. [37] Females may try to evade males that are less energetic and lack social skill. [36] : 170 Males also may form alliances to catch females. [36] : 167–69 Unlike male bottlenose dolphins, male dusky dolphins do not defend multiple females. [36] : 166 Dusky dolphins may reach sexual maturity between four and eight years depending on the region. Female Dusky dolphins off the coast of Peru were found to have pregnancies lasting for 12.9 months and nurse their young for a further 12 months. There are 3.7 month intervals before the reproductive cycle begins again. [3] During intermisson, females usually take the top position. [36] : 170 As with other species where females mate with multiple partners, male dusky dolphins have large testes for sperm competition. [36] : 164 Dusky dolphins sometimes engage in sexual behaviour for reasons other than reproduction, perhaps for greeting, communication, or strengthening social bonds. Homosexual behaviour between males has been observed. [34] Dolphins having sex for social reasons tend to be more serene, with none of the high speed chasing. [36] : 175
Females with calves tend to gather in nursery groups. Nursery groups likely provide mothers and calves more time to rest, which is important for both. Resting is the most common behaviour most of the year. Calves may learn to hunt from their mothers and nursery groups typically forage in shallow water as deeper water is too dangerous for young. [38] : 188–89 Calves are particularly vulnerable to predators like killer whales and shallow water may provide a refuge for predation. [38] : 183 Nursery groups also facilitate socialisation among the young. [38] : 190–191 Nursery groups keep away from mating groups, as adult males will aggressively chase mothers. Calves often get lost in these frenzies and may be also be targeted by the males or predators. [36] : 174 [38] : 185
Dusky dolphins perform a number of aerial displays, including leaps, backslaps, headslaps, tailslaps, spins, and noseouts. [25] They also perform head-over-tail leaps which have been called the most "acrobatic" of the displays. [25] A headfirst re-entry is performed when a dolphin leaps entirely out of the water and positions its back in a curve while it flips the tail to land back in the water head-first. "Humping" is similar, except the snout and tail remain in the water when the dolphin is the arch. [25] Leaps, head-over-tail leaps, backslaps, headslaps, tailslaps, and spins are often done over and over again. [25] The ability to make these leaps is apparently not inborn but is learned. Calves are recorded to learn more complex leaps as they develop, learning in the follow order: noisy leaps, head first re-entries, coordinated leaps, and acrobatic leaps. Young also learn when to preform these leaps though socialisation. [38] : 190–91
The dusky dolphin, protected in much of its range, is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List because; "... Although information is sparse, several Dusky Dolphin populations are large, seemingly stable, and not subject to high levels of anthropogenic threats". [1] Dusky dolphins may fall victim to the small cetacean fisheries of Peru and Chile. The expansion of these fisheries could have started in Peru when the anchoveta fishery collapsed in 1972. [1] Off New Zealand, gill nets have also been a threat, though bycatches seem to have decreased since the 1970s and 1980s. [7] In Peru, dusky dolphins are killed in large numbers (10,000–15,000 per year) and used as shark bait or for human consumption, which has led to a status of Vulnerable for the Peru subspecies. [39] The dolphins are also thought to have been harpooned off South Africa, but the numbers are not considered large. [24]
The dusky dolphin is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements. [40] [41]
The effect of mussel farming on dusky dolphins has been studied in Admiralty Bay, New Zealand. [42] Dusky dolphins are commonly seen in this area, which is also where the greatest density of farming activity is proposed. Apparently, dolphins rarely enter existing farms, and when they do, they usually swim quickly up the lanes and between rows of lines and floats. [42]
Dusky dolphins are popular attractions for whale-watching tours. Since 1997, dolphin-watching activities have increased in Patagonia, with dusky dolphins (along with Commerson's dolphins) as the target species. [43] Tourists interested in seeing dusky dolphins grew from 1,393 in 1997 to 1,840 in 2000. Encounters with dolphins increased from 25% during 1999 to 90% in 2001. [43] Dolphin watching in this areas started as an alternative to whale watching, which was mostly based on that of the southern right whale. [43] Dusky dolphin watching is also popular in New Zealand, whose dolphin-watching industry started in the late 1980s, as a side attraction to sperm whales. Whale and dolphin watching tours have risen to around 75 officialtour operators by 2010. [44] : 235–236 Attractions in the country include viewing and swimming with dusky dolphins, notably in Kaikōura and Marlborough Sounds. [44] : 236
While dusky dolphin tourism is a larger industry in New Zealand than it is in Argentina, tourism has less of an effect on dolphins in the former than the latter. This is likely due to more regulations and guidelines, and a limited amount of permits. The larger and more nocturnal foraging groups of dusky dolphins in New Zealand also leads to less disturbance by vessels. [44] : 241 By contrast, dolphin watching is less regulated in Argentina, with no permits or guidelines. [43] This has lead to vessels interfering more in their activates. [44] : 233–35
The bottlenose dolphin is a toothed whale in the genus Tursiops. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus contains three species: the common bottlenose dolphin, the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, and Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin. Others, like the Burrunan dolphin, may be alternately considered their own species or be subspecies of T. aduncus. Bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide, being found everywhere except for the Arctic and Antarctic Circle regions. Their name derives from the Latin tursio (dolphin) and truncatus for the truncated teeth.
Risso's dolphin is a marine mammal and dolphin, the only species of the genus Grampus. Some of the most closely related species to these dolphins include: pilot whales, pygmy killer whales, melon-headed whales, and false killer whales. These dolphins grow to be about 10 ft in length and can be identified by heavy scarring that appears white. They are located worldwide in cold to temperate waters, but most typically found along continental shelves due to their eating habits. Risso's dolphins have a diet that contains primarily cephalopods. They are able to search for prey at various depths due to their ability to reach depths of almost 600m. Individuals typically travel in pods ranging anywhere from 10 to 50 dolphins, with which they form tight social bonds.
The white-beaked dolphin is a marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae in the suborder Odontoceti.
The pygmy right whale is a species of baleen whale. It may be a member of the cetotheres, a family of baleen whales which until 2012 were thought to be extinct; C. marginata has otherwise been considered the sole member of the family Neobalaenidae and is the only member of the genus Caperea. First described by John Edward Gray in 1846, it is the smallest of the baleen whales, ranging between 6 and 6.5 metres in length and 3,000 and 3,500 kilograms in mass. Despite its name, the pygmy right whale may have more in common with the gray whale and rorquals than the bowhead and right whales.
The strap-toothed beaked whale, also known as Layard's beaked whale, is one of the largest members of the Mesoplodon genus, growing to 6.2 m (20 ft) in length and reaching up to 1,300 kg (2,900 lb). The common and scientific name was given in honor of Edgar Leopold Layard, the curator of the South African Museum, who prepared drawings of a skull and sent them to the British taxonomist John Edward Gray, who described the species in 1865.
The short-finned pilot whale is one of the two species of cetaceans in the genus Globicephala, which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale. It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae).
The long-finned pilot whale, or pothead whale (Globicephalamelas) is a large species of oceanic dolphin. It shares the genus Globicephala with the short-finned pilot whale. Long-finned pilot whales are known as such because of their unusually long pectoral fins.
Dall's porpoise is a species of porpoise endemic to the North Pacific. It is the largest of porpoises and the only member of the genus Phocoenoides. The species is named after American naturalist W. H. Dall.
Heaviside's dolphin is one of four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus. The small cetacean is endemic to the Benguela ecosystem along the southwest coast of Africa.
The melon-headed whale, also known less commonly as the electra dolphin, little killer whale, or many-toothed blackfish, is a toothed whale of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). The common name is derived from the head shape. Melon-headed whales are widely distributed throughout deep tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, but they are rarely encountered at sea. They are found near shore mostly around oceanic islands, such as Hawaii, French Polynesia, and the Philippines.
The northern right whale dolphin is a small, slender species of cetacean found in the cold and temperate waters of the North Pacific Ocean. Lacking a dorsal fin, and appearing superficially porpoise-like, it is one of the two species of right whale dolphin.
The southern right whale dolphin is a small and slender species of cetacean, found in cool waters of the Southern Hemisphere. It is one of two species of right whale dolphin. This genus is characterized by the lack of a dorsal fin. The other species, the northern right whale dolphin, is found in deep oceans of the Northern Hemisphere and has a different pigmentation pattern than the southern right whale dolphin.
The hourglass dolphin is a small dolphin in the family Delphinidae that inhabits offshore Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters. It is commonly seen from ships crossing the Drake Passage but has a circumpolar distribution.
Peale's dolphin is a small dolphin found in the waters around Tierra del Fuego at the foot of South America. It is also commonly known as the black-chinned dolphin or even Peale's black-chinned dolphin. However, since Rice's work Peale's dolphin has been adopted as the standard common name.
The spinner dolphin is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which it rotates around its longitudinal axis as it leaps through the air. It is a member of the family Delphinidae of toothed whales.
The Atlantic white-sided dolphin is a distinctively coloured dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.
The Pacific white-sided dolphin, also known as the hookfin porpoise, is an active dolphin found in the cool or temperate waters of the North Pacific Ocean.
Cetacean surfacing behaviour is a grouping of movement types that cetaceans make at the water's surface in addition to breathing. Cetaceans have developed and use surface behaviours for many functions such as display, feeding and communication. All regularly observed members of the order Cetacea, including whales, dolphins and porpoises, show a range of surfacing behaviours.
The South American sea lion, also called the southern sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion, is a sea lion found on the western and southeastern coasts of South America. It is the only member of the genus Otaria. The species is highly sexually dimorphic. Males have a large head and prominent mane. They mainly feed on fish and cephalopods and haul out on sand, gravel, rocky, or pebble beaches. In most populations, breeding males are both territorial and harem holding; they establish territories first and then try to herd females into them. The overall population of the species is considered stable, estimated at 265,000 animals.
Bernd Gerhard Würsig is an educator and researcher who works mainly on aspects of behavior and behavioral ecology of whales and dolphins. Much of his early work was done in close collaboration with his wife Melany Ann Würsig, and they have published numerous manuscripts and books together. He is now Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M University, teaching only occasionally but still involved with graduate student and other research. He is especially active with problems and potential solutions concerning Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Sousa chinensis, in and surrounding waters of Hong Kong.