The Rough-toothed dolphin is an interesting dolphin. Not all people have heard of this specific type of dolphin. They are very intelligent animals.

 

The Rough-toothed dolphin is a unique dolphin. The color of this specie varies by region. Most of them though are dark gray with light spots on the flanks. The lower jaw and lips are white, and the belly has blotches of white. They also have a darker marking going from their eyes to about the dorsal fin. They can amazingly be 8.5 feet in length and reaching up to 350 pounds in weight. Rough toothed dolphins are frequently confused with: Bottlenose, Spinner, and Spotted dolphins. Although there are some differences between them, Rough-toothed dolphins have a sloped head and an indistinctive beak.

Rough-toothed dolphins can reside in warm temperate waters around the world, but they are mostly spotted around Hawaii. Some also live in the Mediterranean, Japan, and around Brazil. They are deep water animals, which mean it would be very difficult to see them from the shore. They are fast swimmers swimming rapidly just under the surface. There is no main threat to these animals, but few of them have been caught in fishing nets.

 

Rough-toothed dolphins mainly eat squids and some types of fish. On some observations, they have been seen co-operatively gathering food. They feed their young for up to sixth months. They live in groups of about 10 to 30 on average. Although there have been reported sightings of up to 160 dolphins. Live in cohesive groups, and interacting with other dolphins such as Bottlenose, Spinner, and Spotted dolphins. There are roughly 150,000 Rough-toothed dolphins in the world. They reach maturity at the age of 11 and can live to up to 32 years.

 

Rough-toothed dolphins have adapted well to captivity which. During a research project they dolphins showed curiosity in the research boats. There are dozens of them living in captivity around the world. Rough-toothed dolphins can remain submerged for up to 15 minutes per breath. Rough-toothed dolphins may have scars from few encounters with sharks and other Rough-toothed dolphins. They are called Rough-toothed dolphins because of little ridges on their teeth.

 

Rough-toothed dolphins are different compared to other dolphins. They can be very curious about boats and other strange things to them. They fast swimmers and intelligent dolphins. They look much like other dolphins but they differ in their own way. Rough-toothed dolphins are very beautiful and interesting creatures.

 

Author: Naomi D

Date Published: 2/2011

 

Sources:   About the Rough-Toothed Dolphin: Dolphin Facts | EHow.com. Dir. Petra Cunningham-Smith.EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/video_4758013_the-roughtoothed-dolphin.html>. "Rough Toothed Dolphin." Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Ed. W. F. Perrin, Bernd G. Wursig, and J. G. M. Thewissen. 2nd ed. London: Academic, 2009. 990-92. Print. "Rough-toothed Dolphin (Steno Bredanensis) - Office of Protected Resources - NOAA Fisheries." NOAA :: National Marine Fisheries Service. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. <http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/roughtootheddolphin.htm>. "Rough-toothed Dolphin, Steno Bredanensis at MarineBio.org." MarineBio.org - Marine Biology, Ocean Life Conservation, Sea Creatures, Biodiversity, Oceans Research... 8 Nov. 2010. Web. 4 Feb. 2011. <http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=358

 

Photo Credit: Robin Baird http://www.cascadiaresearch.org/hawaii/Leaping%20Steno%20pair%20Oct%2029%20RWb.jpg