White-beaked dolphin

Description

The white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) is a marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae (dolphins) in the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales).The white-beaked dolphin is a robust species of dolphin with a short beak.Adults can reach 2.3 to 3.1 m (7 ft 7 in to 10 ft 2 in) long and weigh 180 to 354 kg (397 to 780 lb).Calves are 1.1 to 1.2 m (3 ft 7 in to 3 ft 11 in) long at birth and probably weigh about 40 kg (88 lb).The upper body and flanks are dark grey with light grey patches,including a 'saddle' behind the dorsal fin,while the underside is light grey to almost white in color.The flippers,fluke,and the tall,falcate,dorsal fin are all a darker grey than the body.As the common name implies,the beak is usually white in color,but it may be a dark,ashy grey,in some older individuals.White-beaked dolphins have 25 to 28 teeth in each jaw,although the three teeth closest to the front of the mouth are often not visible,failing to erupt from the gums.They have up to 92 vertebrae,more than any other species of oceanic dolphin.Although the young are born with two to four whiskers on each side of the upper lip,these disappear as they grow,and,as in other odontocetes,the adults are entirely hairless.The humerus of the right flipper has been recorded as being longer and more robust than that on the left,indicating a degree of lateralized behavior.