Delphinus (genus)

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Delphinus
two jumping Delphinus specimens (species not determined)

two jumping Delphinus specimens (species not determined)

Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Whales (cetacea)
Subordination : Toothed whales (Odontoceti)
Superfamily : Dolphin-like (Delphinoidea)
Family : Dolphins (Delphinidae)
Genre : Delphinus
Scientific name
Delphinus
Linnaeus , 1758

Delphinus is a genus of dolphins (Delphinidae). The genus includes two very similar species, the common dolphin ( Delphinus delphis ) and the long-snouted common dolphin ( Delphinus capensis ). The common dolphin lives mainly in the offshore high seas and is also found in the North Sea and the Mediterranean, but not in the Indian Ocean. The long-snouted common dolphin, on the other hand, is mainly found in tropical coastal waters above the continental shelf .

The common dolphin is a highly variable species and the long-snouted common dolphin, described as early as 1828, was originally assigned to the common dolphin. The species was not recognized until the 1990s.

features

Delphinus species grow to a maximum of 2.5 to 2.70 meters in length, females usually remain somewhat smaller. In contrast to the many other dolphins, the Delphinus species are drawn very conspicuously. On the sides of the body they have a characteristic " hourglass pattern" with a large ocher-colored chest and side patch on the torso, which is pinched off by a V-shaped bulge of the dark back color below the fin from the light gray color of the rear sides. Another characteristic of the genus is a dark stripe that extends on each side of the lower jaw from the tip to the base of the dark flippers . The melon is well defined in both species and leads to the typical head profile.

Way of life

While the common dolphin prefers the high seas, the long-snouted common dolphin lives close to the coast in the tropics. Both species live in large schools, are very lively, fast swimmers and often show jumps, sometimes somersaults and “ride” in the bow waves of ships. They feed on schooling fish, squids and krill . The single boy is born after a gestation period of 10 to 11 months.

literature

Web links

Commons : Delphinus  - collection of images, videos and audio files