Atlantic white beaked dolphin

The white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) has distinctive blackish dorsal and lateral surfaces and its belly is white. There are white or grey markings on the sides and flanks, a large grey beak blaze and a grey area at the tip of the lower jaw, which extends back for about a third of the length of the mouth.

The blowhole is surrounded by a circular dark grey patch. An elongated white blaze extends from above the flipper, along the flanks and over the back behind the dorsal fin. All of the lighter-coloured markings can be flecked with black. A large brownish grey patch extends behind the blowhole to the flippers.

White-beaked dolphins have between 22 and 26 teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. Maximum lengths of 3.5m for a male white-beaked dolphin and 3.05m for a female have been recorded. They are fast and powerful swimmers and may 'bow ride' in front of large, fast moving vessels. They are often seen breaching and leaping on the surface of the sea.

Where are they found?
White-beaked dolphins are found only in the cool and sub-arctic waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. They tend to be coastal and favour continental shelf seas. They can be found between West Greenland, Iceland and the Barents Sea in the eastern Atlantic, and are seasonally abundant off Newfoundland, Labrador and the Davis Strait. The species is common in the North Sea, around the Northern Isles and Hebrides of Scotland, the Faeroes and, seasonally, along the coast of Norway, southern Barents Sea and south western Sweden.

The white-beaked dolphin has been reported in large schools of several hundred individuals. A recent survey indicated that there are around 10,000 individuals in the North Sea.

What do they eat?
White-beaked dolphins prey primarily upon cod and mackerel. Other prey includes squid, octopus, cod, herring and capelin.

White-beaked dolphins have been observed 'herding' fish together through synchronised swimming and diving. Individuals communicate by calling to each other, breaching, tail slapping and somersaults.

How long do they live?
Male white-beaked dolphins become sexually mature when they are about 2.6 m long. The life span of the white-beaked dolphin is unknown. Predators are also unknown, although killer whales have been observed chasing them. Strandings of white-beaked dolphins are common in some areas.

Conservation concerns
By-catch is a problem in the North Sea and off the coast of Labrador, although the exact numbers caught like this are unknown. High levels of organochlorines and lead have been found in the blubber, kidney and muscle of white-beaked dolphins from the coast of Newfoundland. The elevated levels may have resulted from wintering and feeding in the highly polluted Gulf of St. Lawrence.