The Dolphin in History :: Appendix B Dolphins and Their Distribution

Appendix B Dolphins and Their Distribution

Order: CETACEA
Suborder: ODONTOCETI
Family: Delphinidae
Subfamily: Delphininae
Genus: Delphinus
Subfamily: Delphinapterinae
Genus: Monodon
Genus: Delphinapterus

The Suborder Odontoceti of the Order Cetacea consists of the toothed whales, in contrast to the toothless whalebone or baleen whales, the Mystacoceti. The whales are large dolphins or one may say that dolphins are small whales. The members of the Odontoceti are the Dolphin, Freshwater Dolphin, Porpoise, Sperm Whale or Cachalot, Lesser Sperm Whale, Bottle-Nose Whale, Narwhal or Sea-Unicorn, White Whale, Pilot Whale or Black-Fish, Killer Whale or Grampus.

Delphinus delphis: The Common Dolphin. It is easily recognized by its well-defined narrow beak and distinctive coloration, being darker above than below. There is a narrow beak, which is sharply marked off from the low reclining forehead by a V-shaped groove. A length of up to 8½ feet has been recorded. Range of distribution is very wide. May be met in any temperate or warm sea throughout the world, and occurs at times in vast schools.

Delphinus roseiventris: The Red-Bellied Dolphin. Moluccas and Torres Straits, Australia; 3 feet 10 inches.

Prodelphinus attenuatus: Tropical and sub-tropical parts of Atlantic Ocean; 6 feet.

P. plagiodon: Atlantic coast of North America from Cape Hatteras, Gulf of Mexico; 7 feet.

P. froenatus: The Bridled Dolphin. Atlantic and Indian Oceans; about 6 feet.

P. malayanus: East Indies; more than 6 feet.

P. coeruleoalbus: South America, near mouth of River Plate; about 4 feet.

P. euphrosyne: Atlantic Ocean to South Africa; about 8 feet.

Genus Tursiops

T. truncatus: The Bottle-Nosed Dolphin. Has a short well-defined snout 2 or 3 inches long. There is a prominent fin in the middle of the back. Reaches a length of 11 to 12 feet. Has a very wide range. Commonest along the Atlantic coast of America from Maine to Florida. Found in Bay of Biscay, in the Mediterranean Sea, and in New Zealand waters.

T. abusalam: Red Sea; 6 feet.

T. catalania: Indian and Australian seas.

Genus Steno

S. rostratus: The Rough-Toothed Dolphin. Long-beaked, with roughened or furrowed teeth. Atlantic and Indian Oceans; about 8 feet.

Genus Orcaella

O. brevirostris: Irrawaddy River Dolphin. From Bay of Bengal, Vizagapatam, Singapore, and Siam (i.e., S.E. Asia).

Genus Lissodelphis or Tursio

Lissodelphis: The Right Whale Dolphin. All oceans.

Genus Grampus

G. griseus: Risso’s Dolphin. North Atlantic, Mediterranean, New Zealand, and Cape of Good Hope; 12 to 13 feet.

Genus Cephalorhynchus

These are the Southern, mostly cold-water dolphins.

C. heavisidei: Heaviside’s Dolphin. Cape of Good Hope; about 4 feet.

C. hectori: Hector’s Dolphin. New Zealand; about 6 feet.

C. albiventris: White-Bellied Dolphin. A very rare form, found off the coast of South America; about 4 feet 6 inches.

C. commersonii: Commerson’s Dolphin; also known as the Piebald Porpoise or Le Jacobite. Southern oceans; up to 5¼ feet.

Genus Lagenorhynchus

Characterized by great number of vertebrae (80 to 90), great length of transverse and vertical bony processes from vertebrae, moderately pointed high back fin having concave posterior border; the beak is short.

L. acutus: The White-Sided Dolphin. North Atlantic; about 9 feet.

L. australis: Peale’s Porpoise. Cape Horn, Chile, Patagonia, Falkland Islands; over 7 feet.

L. albirostris: The White-Beaked Dolphin. North Atlantic; 9 to 10 feet.

L. cruciger: South Pacific; 5 to 6 feet.

L. fitzroyi: Fitzroy’s Dolphin. Southern end of South America; 5 feet 4 inches.

L. obscurus: Dusky Dolphin. South Africa, New Zealand, Falkland Islands; 7 feet.

Genus Sotalia

Concentrated in the tropical seas or rivers of South America, Africa, India, and the Far East.

S. pallida: Buffeo blanco. Upper Amazon; 5 feet 6 inches.

S. fluviatalis: Buffeo negro. Upper Amazon; 3 feet 7 inches.

S. tucuxi: Upper Amazon.

S. guianensis: N. E. coast of South America.

S. teuszii: Noteworthy as being the one Cetacean believed to feed exclusively on vegetable matter. Kamerun River.

S. gadamu: Vizagapatam; averages 7 feet; snout 6 inches.

S. lentigiosa: Vizagapatam.

S. plumbea: Malabar coast of India; about 8 feet; very long snout.

S. borneensis: Gulf of Siam to Sarawak in Borneo.

S. sinesis: Chinese White Dolphin.

The Fresh Water Dolphins.

Genus Platanista

P. gangetica: The Susu or Gangetic Dolphin; about 8 feet; snout and beak drawn into long forceps-like beak, 7 or 8 inches long; confined to River Ganges and River Indus. It is almost blind.

Genus Inia

I. geoffrensis: Amazonian Dolphin or Boutu. Upper Amazon; 7 feet; long beak.

Genus Pontoporia

P. blainvillei: La Plata Dolphin. Estuary of Rio de la Plata; about 5 feet.

Genus Lipotes

L. vexillifer: Chinese River Dolphin. Ting Ling Lake, 600 miles up the Yang-tse River; 7 feet 6 inches; slightly upcurved jaws.

The Porpoise

The small beakless Delphinidae, which have a triangular dorsal fin and spade-shaped teeth, black above and white below; travels in large schools. The word “porpoise” is derived from the French porc-poisson, “pig-fish.” Never larger than 6 feet.

Genus Phocaena

P. phocaena: The Common Porpoise. Chiefly North Atlantic and North Pacific; never larger than 6 feet.

P. spinipinnis: Burmeister’s Porpoise. Rare. La Plata round Horn to Peru.

P. dalli: Dall’s Harbor Porpoise. Very rare. Alaska; less than 5 feet.

P. truei: True’s Porpoise. Japan; less than 5 feet.

P. dioprica: River Plate to South Georgia.

Genus Neomeris

N. phocaenoides: Finless Black Porpoise. Cape of Good Hope to Japan.

Genus Lissodelphis

L. peronii: New Zealand and Tasmania; about 6 feet.

L. brealis: North Pacific; about 8 feet.

The Right Whale Dolphins

The Whales with Teeth

The toothed whales are big dolphins, and are on the average much smaller than the Whalebone or Baleen toothless Whales.

Family Physeteridae

Subfamily Physeterinae

Genus Physeter

P. catodon: The Sperm Whale or Cachalot. All oceans. Male may reach 60 feet, the female usually half the length of the male. This is the whale that has suffered the relentless persecution of whalers, always a coveted prize on account of its spermaceti-permeated blubber, and its excretory ambergris. The most dangerous of whales.

Subfamily Kogiinae

Genus Kogia

K. breviceps: The Pigmy or Lesser Sperm Whale. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Antarctic oceans; about 10 feet.

Family Ziphiidae

Genus: HyperoÖdon rostratus: The Bottle-Nose Whale. North Atlantic, Mediterranean, South Pacific, and Antarctic; 20 to 30 feet.

Genus: Mesoplodon: “The Cow Fish;” Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

Genus: Ziphius: The Two-Toothed Whale. All oceans.

Genus: Tasmacetus: South Pacific.

Genus: Berardius: Pacific.

Family Monodontidae or Delphinapteridae

Subfamily Delphinapterinae

Genus: Monodon monocerus: Narwhal or Sea Unicorn. Arctic seas south of the ice-field. The male is characterized by an immense tusk, sometimes 9 feet long, projecting like a spear from the left side of the bluntly-rounded muzzle. The tusk is spirally grooved, and is the source of the horn of the unicorn of heraldry. Mottled in color, and about 18 feet long.

Genus: Delphinapterus leucas: The White Whale or Beluga. Resembles the Narwhal in size, shape, and habitat, but the tusk is absent.

Family Delphinidae

Genus Globiocephala

G. melas: Pilot Whale or Black-Fish or Ca’ing Whale. Temperate or tropical seas. Rounded head with dorsal fin. Takes its name from the fact that one whale or pilot leads the way of the sometimes huge schools; about 25 feet.

Genus Orcinus

O. orca: Killer Whale or Grampus. All seas. With a high dorsal fin and black and white coloring, aggressively bold and carnivorous, with singular cunning and intelligence. Fourteen seals and thirteen porpoises have been found in the stomach of a male measuring 21 feet. The male is usually about 30 feet in length.

Genus Pseudorca

P. crassidens: The False Killer Whale or Lesser Killer Whale. All seas.

FOOTNOTES

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