Grampus griseus
Risso’s dolphin
- Length: 1.2-1.5m/4.0-4.9ft (newborn); 2.8-3.3 (3.8)m/9.2-10.9 (12.5)ft (adult).
Head and Beak: Risso’s dolphin has a blunt, rounded head with a slight melon and no beak.
Fin and Markings: Relatively tall, sickle-shaped fin, centrally placed. Dark grey back and flanks, lightening with age to light grey, particularly on head; many pencil-like scratches and scarsare characteristic of Risso’s dolphin.
Risso’s dolphin
ID: Rounded head, tall curved fin, often pale head and back with white scratches.
Risso’s dolphin distribution map
Status and Distribution: Risso’s dolphin is widely distributed in small number along Atlantic European seaboard from the Northern Isles south to the Iberian Peninsula and east into the Mediterranean Sea (particularly the Ligurian Sea). Rare further south in the North Sea but not uncommon in the Irish Sea. In northern coastal waters, Risso’s dolphins are recorded mainly between May and September.
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