Biodiversity & Conservation

Atlantic white-sided dolphin - Lagenorhynchus acutus - General information

Atlantic white-sided dolphin

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Distribution map

Lagenorhynchus acutus recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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  • Berne
  • CITES
  • WC_Act_1981
  • UK_BAP

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Morvan Barnes Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Mammalia Seals, walrus, dolphin and whales
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Found off the coasts of Scotland, north-east England, south-west England and Ireland and off north-west Ireland. Occasionally seen in the North Sea, English channel and all other British waters.
Habitat information icon Habitat information The Atlantic white-sided dolphin is an oceanic species prefering deep waters on the outer continental shelf and slope.
Text page icon Description The Atlantic white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus reaches up to 2.8 m in length. It has moderately long and slender flippers and small tail flukes. The dorsal fin is tall, large and located on the middle of the back. The head is smoothly sloping with a distinct but small snout. It has a complex clearly demarcated colour pattern. It is black to dark grey on the back from the upper beak to the tail, changing sharply to light grey on the sides. The lower jaw and belly, as far as the anus, are white. A distinct white band is visible on the flanks under the dorsal fin between the black and light grey colouration, which turns into an olive-yellow stripe towards the rear at the lower margin of the dark dorsal colouration. A dark line runs from the upper beak to, and surrounding, the eye.

This review can be cited as follows:

Morvan Barnes 2008. Lagenorhynchus acutus. Atlantic white-sided dolphin. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 31/07/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3606>