Lagenorhynchus acutus
Atlantic white-sided dolphin
Length: 1.08-1.12m/3.6-3.7ft (newborn); 2.0-2.8m/6.6-9.2ft (adult)
Head and Beak: Atlantic white-sided dolphin have a sloping head with short, thick, black beak.
Fin and Markings: Large, often erect, strongly sickle-shaped dorsal fin, centrally placed. Atlantic white-sided dolphin have black on back, an elongated yellow-ochre band extending backwards from upper edge of a long white oval blaze.
Atlantic white-sided dolphin
ID: Atlantic white-sided dolphins are less agile than common and striped dolphins, but active at surface, they commonly breach, occasionally bow-ride; tall curved fin; body black with long white ochre blaze; no white on back behind fin.
Atlantic white-sided dolphin distribution map
Status and Distribution: The Atlantic white-sided dolphin are common offshore in deep Atlantic waters west of Norway, around Iceland and the Faroe Islands, Northern Isles and west of the Outer Hebrides, North Scotland. Also in northern North Sea, but rare south of here and in the Channel. Atlantic white-sided dolphins are recorded all months of the year but in UK coastal waters, large numbers occur particularly July to September.
Media:
Download Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin sounds
