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Description
The white-sided dolphin is easy to identify with its short, distinct beak and black back with striking light-gray sides and pearl-white belly. The Atlantic white-sided dolphin also has a yellow or tan streak above its gray side extending towards the tail. Pacific white-sided dolphins are only found in the North Pacific where a northern form (occurring from Alaska to southern California) and a southern form (occurring from central California to Baja California) are known to exist. The two forms look very similar and cannot be distinguished at sea. The Atlantic white-sided dolphin lives only in the northern North Atlantic, in offshore waters. White-sided dolphins are often found in large groups, perhaps of several hundred to more than a thousand individuals. Pacific white-sided dolphins have been shown to use echolocation to locate prey. Both Pacific and Atlantic white-sided dolphins use whistle vocalizations to communicate among themselves. These two species of dolphin have been recorded to produce high frequency signature whistles that are unique to that individual dolphin.
References
- Richardson, W.J., Green, C.R. Jr., Malme, C.I., and Thomson, D.H. 1995. Marine Mammals and Noise. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. pg 178.
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