Species: Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
Pacific White-sided Dolphin
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Articles:
Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) are found in the colder offshore waters of the North Pacific, but they also occasionally occur in inshore waters of the Salish Sea, and more rarely, Puget Sound. They make use of cooperative foraging techniques, and feeding at night in dark conditions means their finely tuned sonar or echolocation serves them well.
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Cetacea
Family
Delphinidae
Genus
Lagenorhynchus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
dauphin à flancs blancs du Pacifique
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Whales and Dolphins
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Cetacea - Delphinidae - Lagenorhynchus - >
Ecology and Life History
Habitat Type Description
Marine
Migration
false - false - false - Seasonal movements not well understood in most areas. Off southern and central California and northwestern Baja California, apparently resident pods are augmented during fall through spring by influxes of animals possibly from north and offshore (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983).
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Eats various fishes (anchovies, hake, sauries) and squid. Apparently feeds primarily at night. Has been seen at dawn and dusk feeding with gulls on small surfacing balls of unidentified bait fishes. (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983).
Reproduction Comments
Calving season has been reported to be summer, but in recent studies calves have been found primarily in early fall (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). <br><br>High seas drift net samples in Central North Pacific (Ferrero and Walker 1996): a calving period preceded sampling during late winter and spring; estimated gestation period 11-12 months; males sexually mature in 10-11 years, females in 8-11 years.
Ecology Comments
Gregarious. Forms herds of a thousand or more, though usually groups are of several hundred or less; herds generally are of all age classes and both sexes.
Length
2700
Weight
150000
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-15
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-15
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=S4&US.AK=S4&US.CA=SNR&US.OR=__&US.WA=SNR" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
Kamchatka Peninsula, Amchitka Island, and Kodiak Island south into Sea of Japan and along entire Pacific coast of Japan, and south to tip of Baja California in the eastern Pacific.