White-beaked Dolphin

• Irish name: An Deilf Shocbhán
• Latin name: Lagenorhynchus albirostris
• Size: 2.4 – 3.1 m
• Diet: Whiting, hake and poor cod.

DESCRIPTION:

A very robust dolphin with a small beak and tall, curved dorsal fin. They have a complex colouration pattern with a white beak, dark grey along the back and white underneath with a diagnostic saddle patch behind the dorsal fin.

BEHAVIOUR:

Breaching sometimes occurs and they may be seen associating with other species. They bow-ride vessels infrequently.

IN IRELAND:

Little is known about this species in Irish waters but as expected of a cold water shelf species, most sighting in Irish waters are from the Northwest region where they appear to be most abundant in offshore waters off counties Mayo and Donegal.