Peale's dolphin

Peale 's dolphin ( Lagenorhynchus australis)

The Peale 's Dolphin ( Lagenorhynchus australis ) in English usage as " Black- chinned Dolphin" ( Black-chinned Dolphin ), is a small dolphin which is in the area around Tierra del Fuego, the southern tip of South America, native. He belongs to the short -beaked dolphins ( Lagenorhynchus ).

The Peale 's dolphin has a robust body with a short, strong jaws. The person sitting in the middle of the body fin is high and curved. In the upper and lower jaws sit 29-34 pin-like teeth. The body color is complex and individually different: the face ( lips and chin ) and the top of the back are dark, which also dark fin ( back fin ) is lighter on the rear side. This usually gray patch merges into the dark color. A dark stripe extends diagonally to the rear part of the back center of the body, where it separates a two - light gray areas large on the front and a smaller one on the flanks. The underside of the abdomen and the body area around the flippers are white. A dark stripe from the corner of his mouth to the genital opening and thus separates the gray pages of the white underbelly.

This dolphin stays in coastal areas, usually from 38 ° S in the South Atlantic Ocean, about Cape Horn to the north in the 33 ° S in the southeastern Pacific. Peale 's dolphins are the most common dolphins along the southern Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and they also inhabit the cliffs of the Falkland Islands. Also in the tidal waters and kelp forests he encountered. The preferred water temperature is 15 ° C.

Mostly, these toothed whales are in groups 2-7 to 20 and especially in summer and autumn counted 100 animals in family groups go. They are frequently observed during a patrol in shallow coastal waters. Despite their slow striking form Peale 's dolphins are active swimmers ( jumping out of the water and playing in the vicinity of boats ), riding waves and swim zig -zag through the water. Often close Peale 's dolphins with Commerson's dolphins together.

Features

The Peale 's Dolphin grown to a length of 2.10 meters and a weight of about 115 kilograms. The face and the chin of the animals is dark gray, the back largely black, each with a white line on both sides, the curvy stretches along the back. The belly is white. Behind the pectoral fins ( flippers ) they also have a white spot and is located on the flanks above the flippers gray - white box. The dorsal fin is relatively large, the flippers are small and tapered. The Fluke runs out in two pointed ends and has a constriction in the middle. When viewing from a distance is primarily a likelihood of confusion with the Dusky Dolphin ( Lagenorhynchus obscurus ).

Dissemination

The Peale 's dolphin is endemic in the coastal waters off southern South America. The northernmost sighting to date is on the Pacific side in Valdivia in Chile at the 38th parallel of south latitude. On the Atlantic side the animals are sighted until about 44 degrees, at the height of the Golfo San Jorge, Argentina. To the south, the area extends into the Drake Passage at about 60 ° south latitude.

You obviously prefer waters with a strong Tide currents or currents of straits and channels. About the population size is not known.

Behavior

Peale 's dolphins gather in small groups with an average of five to 20 animals, rarely also schools with up to 100 animals can be seen, especially in summer and autumn. The animals swim most behind the other along the coast. Usually they swim relatively slowly, but can accelerate abruptly.

Threat and protection

Since the Peale 's dolphins often swim near the shore, and only use a very small area, they are relatively easy to catch. Especially in the 1970s and 1980s, thousands of animals were killed by Chilean fishermen and used as bait for the crab fishery. This practice has indeed taken off, but it was never banned. In Argentina, many dolphins get caught in fishing nets, precise figures, however, is not known. Especially whale organizations such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society warn that this kind must necessarily be better explored.