Franciscana dolphin

The franciscana, also called the La Plata dolphin or toninha, is a small greyish-brown dolphin that lives along the Atlantic coast of southeastern South America. It is a kind of river dolphin, but unlike its relatives it lives in the sea and in salty river mouths instead of only in fresh water.

Its best-known feature is its beak. Compared with its body size, the franciscana has the longest beak of any living whale or dolphin, up to about 15 percent of its length in older adults. It is shy and slow-moving, so it is hard to spot unless the water is calm. It lives from near Ubatuba in Brazil south to Península Valdés in Argentina.

Where does the franciscana live?

It stays in shallow coastal waters and estuaries, including the huge Río de la Plata estuary between Argentina and Uruguay. It usually swims alone or in small groups, and groups of up to 15 have been seen. These dolphins are bottom feeders. Scientists who looked inside their stomachs found at least 24 kinds of fish, along with octopus, squid and shrimp. Because the animal eats whatever is common, its menu changes with the place and the season. Killer whales and several sharks hunt it in turn.

How big is it, and how does it grow up?

Males grow to about 1.6 metres and females to about 1.8 metres, and the heaviest weigh around 50 kilograms. A baby is born 70 to 75 centimetres long after about ten to eleven months in the mother, and it is weaned at around one year. Dolphins reach adulthood at two to three years old and can live up to about 20 years. The flippers are broad and almost triangular, and the blowhole sits just in front of a crease in the neck, which makes the dolphin look as if its head is always tilted up.

On the globe

The toy model sits on the South American Atlantic coast, in the murky shallow water where the real franciscana lives. Look for the very long, thin beak.