Commerson's Dolphin

Commerson's Dolphin Facts (Cephalorhynchus commersonii)

This particular dolphin is also known by a variety of other names. You may have heard it called the piebald dolphin or the skunk dolphin. This last one is due to the similar coloring that it has to a skunk. The front and back of the body is dark black with the middle being white. However, both the top and the bottom are white rather than just the belly like with most species of dolphins.

This is one of the smaller types of dolphins out there. They only grow to be about 5 feet in length. They are quite round though as they don’t weigh more than 100 pounds. You will notice that the dorsal fin has a curved end of it that goes upward. The males and females can be told apart by a notch on the belly. For males it is teardrop shaped and for females it is round.
 
Distribution

The Commerson’s dolphin is only found in two areas – along the Southern tip of South America and a small region along the coast of Africa. The Strait of Magellan is where they were first identified in the late 1700’s. This is always where the majority of them reside today.

Behavior

Many people that have seen this species of dolphin in person will tell you that they are the most beautiful of them all. They are certainly among the most active species out there. They can do some amazing leaps very high out of the water. They also can do many flips before they dive back down into the deeper waters. Some of them have even been seen swimming upside down which is quite comical for humans watching them.

They live in small groups of no more than about 30 at a time.

Diet /Feeding

Their diet is very similar to other species of dolphins. They consume various types of fish, crustaceans, and squid. When octopus are available they too will become a tasty meal for these dolphins. Their mouths feature from 100 to 140 extremely sharp teeth. They have a very high metabolism, about three times higher than other species of dolphins. Therefore they consume up to 20 pounds of food every day.

Reproduction

Maturity for both the males and females can occur from 6 to 9 years of age. Very little is known about the courting and mating process. It is estimated that 11 months will pass from conception to the birth. The new offspring will be approximately half the length of their mother when they are born.

The offspring are often brown or gray until they are about six months of age. Then they will develop the black and white coloring that this species is so easily recognized by. They  are more vulnerable during this early period of life due to that coloring. As their colors change their mother will start the process of weaning. They have the shortest nursing period of all species of dolphins.

Conservation

Since the 1980’s the Commerson’s dolphin has been classified as endangered. Efforts have been made to prevent the illegal killing of it. Before the injunction was passed though large numbers of them were killed to use as bait for capturing fish. This was common in both Chile and Argentina.

Human interaction

This species of dolphin seems to do very well in captivity. There are some found in the United States under the guidance of Sea World. There are also some known to be in captivity in Japan. Only about 25 of them are known to be in captivity at this time. They can live up to 19 years in the wild and about 25 in captivity.