Description: The Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) is named for its coloration. This species has a black dorsal region that fades to gray along its sides and a distinctive white coloration running along its ventral surface most of the length of its body. The Atlantic white sided dolphin belongs to the Family Delphinidae, the largest family of the Order Cetacea, which includes killer whales, pilot whales, and other dolphins.
The main predators Lagenorhynchus acutus faces include killer whales and sharks. This dolphin is rarely sighted in inshore regions, prefering areas further out along the continental shelf where water depths reach 40-270 m (Source: Kopak).
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Cetacea
- Family: Delphinidea
- Genus: Lagenorhynchus
- Species: Lagenorhynchus acutus
(Source: Kopak)
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Habitat: Prefers cool, lower salinity waters. Occurs in subartic waters of the north Atlantic Ocean. Western edge of range extends from Greenland to New England. Eastern edge of range stretches from the British Isles to western Norway (Source: Kopak).
Diet: Fish including smelt, hake, and herring. Also feeds on shrimp and squid (Source: Kopak).
Status: Population data is scarce. Considered locally abundant. Main threat comes from entanglement in fishing nets (Source: Kopak).
Sources:
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Burnie, D. and D.E. Wilson. Animal. Dorling Kindersley. London. 2001.
- Kopack, H. 2000. "Lagenorhynchus acutus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 27, 2004.
