White-beaked dolphin

흰부리돌고래

A stocky dolphin of the cold North Atlantic with a short white beak and a pale patch on its flank. It is about 2.5 to 3 m long, travels in groups and often rides the bow waves of boats.

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At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: North Atlantic, Scotland, Iceland & Norway
Diet: Fish eater
Weight: about 250 kg
Length: about 2.7 m
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: coasts, open ocean

Quick answers

Where does the White-beaked dolphin live?

It lives in coasts, open ocean of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. On the globe you can find it near North Atlantic, Scotland, Iceland & Norway.

How big is the White-beaked dolphin?

It grows to about 2.7 m and 250 kg.

What does the White-beaked dolphin eat?

Its diet: fish eater.

Is the White-beaked dolphin endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The white-beaked dolphin is a sturdy dolphin of the cold North Atlantic and subarctic seas, from Cape Cod across to Scotland, Iceland and Norway. It is usually found in water less than 1,000 metres deep.

Adults are 2.3 to 3.1 metres long and weigh 180 to 354 kilograms. They have a short, thick beak that is usually white, and the upper body is dark grey with light grey patches, including a pale 'saddle' behind the tall fin. The belly is light grey to almost white. It is among the common dolphins of the northern seas, often seen by whale watchers.

What makes it special?

It has up to 92 vertebrae, more than any other oceanic dolphin. Young dolphins are born with a few whiskers on the upper lip, but these disappear as they grow.

The species was first described by John Edward Gray in 1846, and it was among the first of its genus known to science because it was so common in European waters. The beak color can be dark ashy grey in some older animals.

Family life

Calves are about 1.1 to 1.2 metres long at birth and weigh about 40 kilograms. White-beaked dolphins live in groups, and the card notes that they like to ride bow waves in front of boats.

They hunt fish and squid in cold seas. It has 25 to 28 teeth in each jaw, though the front three are often hidden under the gums.