Heaviside Dolphin [1] ( lat Cephalorhynchus heavisidii ) is a dolphin species, a representative of the genus Variegated Dolphins ( Cephalorynchus ).
Heaviside Dolphin | ||||||||||||||
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| Cephalorhynchus heavisidii JE Gray , 1828 | ||||||||||||||
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Content
- 1 Appearance
- 2 Distribution
- 3 Behavior
- 4 Communication
- 5 Population and threats
- 6 notes
- 7 References
Appearance
Like all species of this genus, it has a small stocky body and a short, wide head. Adults reach 1.74 m in length and weigh 60–70 kg. The pectoral fins are rounded, the dorsal fin is relatively large, triangular. The color is gray with a black and blue spot stretching from the area between the dorsal fin and the snout to half the abdominal part of the body, there is also a black and blue streak stretching from the breathing to the dorsal fin, and spots of the same color on the pectoral fins and around the eyes. On the abdomen there is a white spot in the form of a trident, as in killer whales , there is also a white diamond-shaped spot on the chest and two small spots behind the pectoral fins. In the mouth from 48 to 70 teeth.
Distribution
It lives in the coastal waters of South Africa, from northern Namibia to Cape Town. It prefers shallow coastal waters up to 100 m deep, at a distance of 8-10 km from the coast, with a temperature of 9-15 ° C.
Behavior
Usually kept in groups of 2-3 individuals, sometimes 4-10 individuals or individually. Morning is spent in coastal waters, and the rest of the day is open. This daily routine reflects the behavior of their prey, especially fish of the burbot family, which migrate to the upper layers of water at night. In the morning, in the coastal waters, dolphins rest, talk and avoid predators.
Sometimes they accompany ships and ride on their bow waves. They can jump to a height of two meters above the water.
It feeds on fish from the families of sea burbots, seriola, gobies, as well as octopuses and squids .
Communication
They have exceptional underwater vision and use it for communication. They also use tactile communication, swim next to each other and stroke each other to maintain a strong relationship. Sometimes they communicate using whistles and clicks in the range from 1.5 to 11.0 kHz. They also interact chemically, releasing pheromones from the pores of their anal glands.
Heaviside Dolphins rely heavily on echolocation for environmental awareness.
Population and threats
Sometimes they are hunted by poachers and entangled in networks.
Also, given the relatively small distribution area of these dolphins, pollution of their habitat and excessive fishing can negatively affect their numbers.
However, at the moment, there is not enough data to assess the threat, but the species is not considered rare.
Notes
- ↑ Sokolov V.E. The pagan dictionary of animal names. Mammals Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V. E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. lang., 1984. - S. 113. - 10,000 copies.