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Pacific White Sided Dolphins are aquatic mammals.
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Pacific White Sided
Dolphin Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Lagenorhynchus
Species: Obliquidens
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Other Names: Lag, Pacific Striped Dolphin,
White-striped Dolphin, and Hook-finned Porpoise
Size: Pacific White Sided Dolphins are
approximately 7.5-8 feet long and weigh 330- 440
lbs. The female White Sided Dolphins are significantly
smaller than their male counterparts.
Habitat: Pacific White Sided Dolphins
are found in the cool to temperate waters of the
North Pacific Ocean and neighboring seas.
Diet: Pacific White Sided Dolphins prey
on hake, anchovies, squid, herring, salmon and
cod.
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Pacific White Sided Dolphin
Conservation Status: Not Endangered
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Description: The Pacific White Sided Dolphin
is easy to identify with its short, distinct beak and
black back with striking light-gray sides and a white
belly. They are a robust dolphin and have a curved dorsal
fin. They have a blunt beak.
| Communication:
Pacific White Sided Dolphins use whistle vocalizations
to communicate among themselves. Like all dolphins,
Pacific White Sided Dolphin use echolocation to
locate objects, such as prey and obstacles. |
Did You Know?
Pacific White Sided Dolphins were considered
as fish by the Greek philosophers until
1758, when it was reclassified as a mammal.
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Gestation: Pacific White Sided Dolphins carry
their young for 10 to 12 months.
Birth: Pacific White Sided Dolphins are are
2.5-4 feet long and weigh about 35 lbs.
Calves: Pacific White Sided Dolphin calves will
nurse for up to 8 to 10 months. The females give birth
every 4.5-5 years.
Sexual Maturity: Female Pacific White Sided
Dolphins reach sexual maturity at at 7 years of age.
Male Pacific White Sided Dolphins sexually mature between
the ages of 9 to 12.
Life Span: Pacific White Sided Dolphins can live
in excess of 40 years. Both sharks and killer whales are
natural predators of the Pacific White Sided Dolphin.
Social Structure: Pacific White Sided Dolphins
socialize with other cetaceans. Pods with 90 are not
uncommon, and on occasion they form super pods of more
than 300 dolphins. Pacific white Sided Dolphins are
highly social and playful in nature. Pacific White Sided
Dolphins have been observed with northern right whale
dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, and humpback and gray whales.
Even seals and sea lions have been observed as Pacific
White Sided dolphin playmates.
Athleticism: Pacific White Sided Dolphins are
frequently seen leaping and somersaulting out of the
water. They are common bow riders, riding the wakes
of boats.
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