Right whale dolphin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Right whale dolphins |
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| Northern species, Lissodelphis borealis | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Infraorder: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Delphinidae |
| Subfamily: | Lissodelphininae |
| Genus: | Lissodelphis Gloger, 1841 |
| Species | |
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L. borealis Peale, 1848 |
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| Northern and southern right whale dolphin ranges | |
Right whale dolphins are amazing sea creatures that belong to a group called Lissodelphis. There are two main types: the northern right whale dolphin and the southern right whale dolphin. These dolphins are mostly black with white undersides. What makes them really special is that they are some of the only dolphins without a dorsal fin (the fin on their back).
Even though scientists have known about these dolphins for a long time (the Northern type was found in 1848 and the Southern in 1804), we still have a lot to learn about their lives and how they behave. They are smaller members of the oceanic dolphin family and have very sleek bodies.
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What Do Right Whale Dolphins Look Like?
Both types of right whale dolphins have slim bodies, small, pointed flippers, and a small tail fin. The most noticeable thing about them is that they don't have a dorsal fin. This is why they are called "right whale dolphins," because right whales also don't have this fin.
The northern right whale dolphin is the only dolphin in the Pacific Ocean without a dorsal fin. Similarly, the southern right whale dolphin is the only finless dolphin in the southern half of the world. You can tell the two types apart by how much white they have on their bodies. Both have white bellies. However, the southern species has much more white, covering its sides, flippers, snout, and forehead.
Northern male dolphins grow to about 220 centimeters (about 7 feet) long when they become adults. Females are a bit smaller, around 200 centimeters (about 6.5 feet). Both males and females become adults at about 10 years old. Baby right whale dolphins are about half the size of their parents. The southern species is usually larger, growing up to 250 centimeters (about 8 feet) long and weighing up to 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds). Northern dolphins weigh a bit less, around 80 to 90 kilograms (about 175 to 200 pounds). These dolphins can live for about 40 years.
Where Do Right Whale Dolphins Live?
The northern right whale dolphin lives across the cool parts of the North Pacific Ocean. They can be found from places like Kamchatka and Japan in the west, all the way to British Columbia and down to the Baja California Peninsula in the east.
Scientists are not completely sure if these dolphins travel long distances every year. However, they have been seen close to the coast of California in winter and spring. This is when they follow their main food source, squid. They are not usually seen close to shore in the summer. Most of the time, these dolphins live far out in the open ocean. We don't have an exact number for how many there are worldwide. But there are an estimated 14,000 northern right whale dolphins near the North American coast.
The southern right whale dolphin lives all around the world in a band between about 40° and 55° south of the equator. They are often seen in the Tasman Sea, which is between Australia and New Zealand.
How Do Right Whale Dolphins Behave?
Both types of right whale dolphins love to be in large groups. They often travel in pods of hundreds of individuals. Sometimes, these groups can even have as many as 3,000 dolphins! They might also swim with other dolphins, like dusky dolphins and pilot whales (in the south) or Pacific white-sided dolphins (in the north).
These dolphins are some of the fastest swimmers in the ocean, reaching speeds over 40 kilometers per hour (about 25 miles per hour). They can be very playful and jump high out of the water or slap their tails. Other times, they can be very quiet and hard to spot at sea. When they swim very fast, they can leap up to 7 meters (about 23 feet) across the ocean's surface in a smooth, bouncing way.
Right whale dolphins usually try to avoid boats. However, sometimes they will swim at the front of a boat, riding the waves created by its bow.
It's very rare for these dolphins to get stuck on land. One northern right whale dolphin was found on a beach in Oregon in 2018. There was also one time when 77 southern right whale dolphins got stuck on Chatham Island.
Conservation Efforts
The southern right whale dolphin faces some challenges from fishing activities in Peru. The northern species has never been hunted for commercial purposes. However, in the 1980s, tens of thousands of northern right whale dolphins were accidentally caught in large fishing nets called gillnets. These nets were later banned by the United Nations in 1993. People who work to protect animals are trying hard to make sure these bans stay in place.
Sadly, attempts to keep right whale dolphins in aquariums have not been successful. In almost every case, the dolphins have died within three weeks.
See also
In Spanish: Lissodelphis para niños
