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Commerson's Dolphins are aquatic mammals.
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Commerson's Dolphin
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Cephalorhynchus
Species: Commersonii
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Other Names: Piebald Dolphin, Skunk Dolphin,
Jacobite , Southern Dolphin, and Panda Dolphin
Size: Commerson's Dolphins are one of
the smaller species of dolphins. Commerson's Dolphins
are 4.5 feet in length. They weigh between 77-132
lbs. Female Commerson's Dolphins are are typically
somewhat larger than their male counterparts.
Habitat: Commerson's Dolphins are found
in the shallow waters along the southernmost tip
of South America and around the Kerguelen Islands
in the Indian Ocean.
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Commerson's Dolphin
Conservation Classification: Data Insufficient
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Diet: Commerson's Dolphins are predators and eat
fish, cuttlefish, octopus, crustaceans, and benthic invertebrates.
They hunt collectively.
Senses: Commerson's Dolphins have a well developed,
acute sense of hearing. The Commerson's Dolphins have
acute vision both in and out of the water. The Commerson's
Dolphin's olfactory nerves are absent, indicating that
they have no sense of smell.
Description: Commerson's Dolphins have a small
stocky body with rounded, paddle-like flippers and no
obvious beak. Adult Commerson's Dolphins have black
on the head, fluke, dorsal fin, flippers and the rear
part of the back. The rest of the dolphin's body and
the throat are white.
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Birth: Commerson's dolphin calves are
fairly large. They typically measure between 22
to 30 inches in length. The calf is 22 % of the
mother’s body weight and is 61 % of her length
on the average at birth!
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Did You Know?
Commerson's Dolphins
can often be found in naturally protected
waters or harbors, sometimes they will
enter the mouth of rivers.
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Gestation: Commerson's Dolphins carry their
young for approximately 350 days.
Calves: Commerson's Dolphin calves are born
gray, black and brown.
Sexual Maturity: Male and female Commerson's
Dolphins reach sexual maturity between the ages of 5-8.
Life Span:The average life span of Commerson's
Dolphin is 15-18 years.
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Structure: Commerson's Dolphins are found in
small groups of two to three individuals. Occasionally
larger groups of 20 to 30 or more dolphins will
be observed. |
Did You Know?
Commerson's dolphins typically eat 8-13
lbs of food per day. They have a high
metabolization rate.
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Athleticism: Commerson's Dolphins are fast,
and active swimmers. They are often seen bow-riding,
swimming upside down, and spinning underwater. They
will swim at speeds of 7-8 mph.
Unusual: The Commerson's Dolphin is very active.
They are also known to enjoy swimming upside-down, which
is thought to improve the visibility of its prey.
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