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The Southern Right Whale Dolphin (Lissodelphis peronii) is a Right Whale Dolphin.
Southern right whale dolphins are the only dolphins without dorsal fins in the southern hemisphere. They are smaller than northern right whale dolphins and have more white on their head and sides. They have slim, graceful bodies which are black on the upper side and white underneath. Their flippers are mainly white and are small and curved. Their flukes are small with a notch in the middle and concave trailing edges. Their beaks are small but distinct. They have between 43 and 49 teeth in each row of both jaws.
Field ID: Streamlined body, Short, defined beak, no teeth visible, Single blowhole, Black and white in colour, White underside, No fin, Fast active swimmer, May approach boats
Length (metres): Newborn calves are about 80cm (32in) to 1m (39in) in length. Adults are between 1.8 and 2.9 metres (6ft-9ft 6in). Females tend to be slightly longer than males.
Weight: Adults weigh between 60 and 100 kg (130-220lb).
Diet: Fish, Squid, Octopus
Behavior
Southern right whale dolphins are very graceful and often move by leaping out of the water continuously. When they swim slowly, they expose only a small area of the head and back when they surface to breathe. Breaching, belly-flopping, side-slapping and lob-tailing (slapping the flukes on the water surface) have been witnessed. They typically live in groups of between 2 and 100. Some groups are more nervous than others and will swim away from boats, whereas others will approach and possibly bow-ride. This tendency to bow-ride worked against them in the 19th century, as it allowed whalers to harpoon them from the bow and use them as food. Southern right whale dolphins are often seen in the company of dusky dolphins, hourglass dolphins or pilot whales. They travel in groups, that range from 200 to 2000.
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