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Oceanic DolphinsThe 26 species of oceanic dolphins are divided into 12 different genera. Each genus has a page devoted to it that includes some information on each species. Some genera, including Delphinus, Grampus, Lagenodelphis, Orcaella, Sotalia, Steno, and Tursiops have only one species, so those pages are devoted to their respective species. A lot of emphasis is placed on the genera Delphinus and Tursiops, as they contain the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin, respectively. Those pages are significantly more detailed than the rest. Navigating through this section in a linear manner will take you through each of the genera in alphabetical order. | ||||||||||||
Cephalorhynchus Commerson's dolphin, the Black Dolphin, Heaviside's Dolphin, and Hector's Dolphin. Found only in the southern hemisphere. |
Delphinus The Common Dolphin. Very well known; found all over the world. One of the most familiar cetaceans. |
Grampus Risso's Dolphin. Beakless, gregarious dolphin with a worldwide distribution. |
Lagenodelphis Fraser's Dolphin. Similar to the species of Lagenorhynchus, but with a more pronounced beak. Found mostly in the tropical waters of the Pacific. | ||||||||||
Lagenorhynchus Various acrobatic species, found in the northern Atlantic, northern Pacific, and southern hemisphere. All prefer temperate to subpolar waters. |
Lissodelphis Northern and Southern Rightwhale Dolphins. Extremely streamlined bodies, unique because they lack dorsal fins. |
Orcaella Irrawaddy Dolphin. Beakless riverine and estuarine dolphin of Southeast Asia. |
Sotalia Tucuxi. Known for being the oceanic dolphin with a significant riverine population. |
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Sousa Hump-backed dolphins. Known for their double-stepped dorsal fins. |
Stenella Spinner, Spotted, and Striped Dolphins. Tropical distributions, either worldwide or limited to the Atlantic. Some of the most acrobatic of cetaceans. |
Steno Rough-toothed Dolphin. Worldwide distribution, known for extremely unusual appearance. |
Tursiops Bottlenose dolphin. Probably the most familiar and thoroughly studied of all cetaceans. Worldwide distribution, also common in captivity. | ||||||||||
Each of the images of the genera on this page, with the exception of Sotalia and Steno, come from the National University of Singapore's Dolphin Study Group's photographic database (http://dsg.sbs.nus.edu.sg ).
Permission obtained by email message on 30 July 1998 from Etienne Douaze <douaze@dsg.sbs.nus.edu.sg>. © 1998 Thinkquest Team 17963 <17963@advanced.org >: Bradford
Hovinen, Onno Faber, Vincent Goh Modified: 21 August 1998, Created: 16 August 1998 |
