The Commerson’s dolphin is a very interesting mammal. Its black and white coloring resembles a panda bear. It is because of this that this dolphin is sometimes called a panda dolphin.  Even though the Commerson’s dolphin is hunted by humans it still thrives.

A Panda dolphin’s average length is 5 feet long and their weight is 80-120 pounds. Female dolphins are usually larger than male dolphins. The panda dolphin is black from the dorsal fin to the tail, including the head down to the two front fins. The rest of the dolphin is white.  They mainly live around the Kerguelen Islands and on the southern tip of South America. This dolphin is easily recognizable because of its panda bear coloring.

The panda dolphin eats a variety of different animals available to it. They eat things such as fish, squid, octopus, crustaceans, shrimp, and other invertebrates. Panda dolphins hunt their prey by sneaking up from underneath them. Their population is about 21,000 along the southern tip of South America. The population in the Kerguelen Islands is unknown.

Unfortunately this animal isn’t untouched by humans. The Commerson’s dolphin is hunted by humans only for one thing, the meat. Though hunting these dolphins is illegal, humans use their meet to catch crabs. These dolphins also get tangled up in nets and die. Other than that, this dolphin does pretty well.

The panda dolphin is a strange but awesome animal. What was very interesting to me is that the panda dolphins swim upside down to get their food. It’s also cool that females are larger than males. The commerson’s dolphin is one of the many exotic dolphins out there.

Author: Nick B

Published:

Photo credit: Kristen Wahiquist

 

 "CMS: Cephalorhynchus Commersonii, Commerson's Dolphin." CMS - Convention on Migratory Species Convention Sur Les Espèces Migratrices - Convención Sobre Las Especies Migratorias. 2010. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.  http://www.cms.int/reports/small_cetaceans/data/c_commersonii/c_commersonii.htm.

"Commerson's Dolphin." Whale Web. 1996. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. http://www.whale-web.com/dolphins/commerson.html.