Long-beaked Common Dolphin
Encyclopedia
The Long-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus capensis) is a species of common dolphin
. It has a more restricted range than the Short-beaked Common Dolphin
(D. delphis). It has a disjointed range in coastal areas in tropical and warmer temperate oceans. The range includes parts of western and southern Africa
, much of western South America
, southern California
to central Mexico
, coastal Peru
, areas around Japan
, Korea
and Taiwan
, and possibly near Oman
.
pattern colored light grey, yellow or gold in front and dirty grey in back. It has a long, thin rostrum with up to 50–60 small, sharp, interlocking teeth on each side of each jaw.
genus, Delphinus within the dolphin family, Delphinidae. Until the mid-1990s, the different forms within Delphinus were not recognized as separate species, but were all considered members of the species D. delphis. Currently, there are two recognized species of Delphinus — the Short-beaked Common Dolphin (D. delphis) and the Long-beaked Common Dolphin. The Long-beaked Common Dolphin is generally larger than the Short-beaked Common Dolphin and has a longer rostrum
.
The Indo-Pacific Common Dolphin is sometimes considered a separate species (D. tropicalis) but is more often considered a form of the Long-beaked Common Dolphin.
s. They have also been observed bow riding on baleen whale
s, and they also bow ride on boats. Breaching behavior and aerial acrobatics are common with this species.
of 10 to 11 months. The newborn calf has a length of between 80 and 100 cm (2.6 and 3.3 ft) and a weight of about 10 kilograms (22 lb). Typical interbirth interval ranges from 1 to 3 years. In captivity, the Long-beaked Common Dolphin has hybridized with the Common Bottlenose Dolphin
(Tursiops truncatus). One of the hybrids has been bred back to a bottlenose dolphin, demonstrating that such hybrids are fertile.
Common dolphin
The common dolphin is the name given to two species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus.Prior to the mid-1990s, most taxonomists only recognised one species in this genus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis...
. It has a more restricted range than the Short-beaked Common Dolphin
Short-beaked Common Dolphin
The short-beaked common dolphin is a species of common dolphin. It has a larger range than the long-beaked common dolphin , occurring throughout warm-temperate and tropical oceans, with the possible exception of the Indian Ocean...
(D. delphis). It has a disjointed range in coastal areas in tropical and warmer temperate oceans. The range includes parts of western and southern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, much of western South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, coastal Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, areas around Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and possibly near Oman
Oman
Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
.
Physical characteristics
The Long-beaked Common dolphin is a medium sized dolphin, smaller than the more popular bottlenose dolphin. Adults range between 1.9 and 2.5 m (6.2 and 8.2 ft), long, and can weigh between 80 and 235 kg (176.4 and 518.1 lb), although a range between 80 and 150 kg (176.4 and 330.7 lb) is more common. Males are generally longer and heavier. The color pattern on the body is unusual. The back is dark and the belly is white, while on each side is an hourglassHourglass
An hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
pattern colored light grey, yellow or gold in front and dirty grey in back. It has a long, thin rostrum with up to 50–60 small, sharp, interlocking teeth on each side of each jaw.
Taxonomy
The Short-beaked Common Dolphin is a member of common dolphinCommon dolphin
The common dolphin is the name given to two species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus.Prior to the mid-1990s, most taxonomists only recognised one species in this genus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis...
genus, Delphinus within the dolphin family, Delphinidae. Until the mid-1990s, the different forms within Delphinus were not recognized as separate species, but were all considered members of the species D. delphis. Currently, there are two recognized species of Delphinus — the Short-beaked Common Dolphin (D. delphis) and the Long-beaked Common Dolphin. The Long-beaked Common Dolphin is generally larger than the Short-beaked Common Dolphin and has a longer rostrum
Rostrum (anatomy)
The term rostrum is used for a number of unrelated structures in different groups of animals:*In crustaceans, the rostrum is the forward extension of the carapace in front of the eyes....
.
The Indo-Pacific Common Dolphin is sometimes considered a separate species (D. tropicalis) but is more often considered a form of the Long-beaked Common Dolphin.
Behavior
Long-beaked Common Dolphins can live in aggregations of hundreds or even thousands of dolphins. They sometimes associate with other dolphin species, such as pilot whalePilot whale
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. There are two extant species, the long-finned pilot whale and the short-finned pilot whale . The two are not readily distinguished at sea and analysis of the skulls is the best way to tell the difference between them...
s. They have also been observed bow riding on baleen whale
Baleen whale
The Baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form the Mysticeti, one of two suborders of the Cetacea . Baleen whales are characterized by having baleen plates for filtering food from water, rather than having teeth. This distinguishes them from the other suborder of cetaceans,...
s, and they also bow ride on boats. Breaching behavior and aerial acrobatics are common with this species.
Diet
The Long-beaked Common Dolphin has a varied diet consisting of many species of fish and squid that live less than 200 metres (656.2 ft) deep.Reproduction
The Long-beaked Common Dolphin has a gestation periodGestation period
For mammals the gestation period is the time in which a fetus develops, beginning with fertilization and ending at birth. The duration of this period varies between species.-Duration:...
of 10 to 11 months. The newborn calf has a length of between 80 and 100 cm (2.6 and 3.3 ft) and a weight of about 10 kilograms (22 lb). Typical interbirth interval ranges from 1 to 3 years. In captivity, the Long-beaked Common Dolphin has hybridized with the Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus, commonly known as the Common Bottlenose Dolphin, is the most well-known species from the family Delphinidae.Common bottlenose dolphins are the most familiar dolphins due to the wide exposure they receive in captivity in marine parks, dolphinarias, in movies, and television...
(Tursiops truncatus). One of the hybrids has been bred back to a bottlenose dolphin, demonstrating that such hybrids are fertile.