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- TAXONOMY
Class : Mammalia
Order : Cetartiodactyla
Infraorder : Cetacea
Parvorder : Odontoceti
Family : Delphinidae
Common names :
English : Rough-toothed dolphin
Spanish : Delfín de dientes rugosos
French : Steno
- MORPHOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
Morphology : Conical head, beak continuous with forehead (no crease). Dorsal fin fairly prominent and slightly falcate.
Color and patterns : body dark gray to black above with narrow cape along back to tail, lighter sides and whitish or pinkish belly ; pinkish or yellowish white blotches and spots, especially on lower half of body.
Body length : around 2.3 to 2.8 m
Group size : usually few units to a few dozens of individuals.
Specific behavior : Their behavior is usually quiet. They swim at slow to moderate speeds and skim along the surface, keeping very close together in tight formation.
Feeding : highly diversified diet, made of a large variety of neritic and pelagic fish and cephalopods.
- DISTRIBUTION
Global distribution : they occur in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters of all oceans, from 40° south to 40° north.
Sightings in the Wider Caribbean region : it is observed throughout the Wider Caribbean, mainly on continental shelves and slopes, and over insular slopes, to depths of several thousand meters.
- CONSERVATION
Threats recorded in the Wider Caribbean region : bycatch in active and ghost fishing nets and whaling.
IUCN status : LC (Least Concern)
SPAW status : classified in annex II of the Spaw Protocol since 1991.
Sources :
International Whaling Commission
IUCN (2021) The IUCN redlist of threatened species.
IUCN and Zoological Society of London (2012) National Red Lists
Jefferson T.A., Webber M.A., Pitman R.L. (2015) Marine mammals of the world : a comprehensive guide to their identification. Academic Press.
Kaschner, K., Reeves, R. (2011) LifeWeb species distribution factsheets.
NOOA (2021) Species fact sheets - Marine mammals.
Ocean Science & Logistic (2020) Guide des cétacés de Guyane française. OSL, canopée des Science, Cayenne, Guyane française.
Savouré-Soubelet A., Aulagnier S., Haffner P., et al. (coord.) (2016) Atlas des mammifères sauvages de France volume 1 : Mammifères marins. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris ; IRD, Marseille.
Society for marine mammalogy-Species fact sheets
SPAW-RAC. (2020). Implementation of the Action Plan for Marine Mammals in the Wider Caribbean Region : A Scientific and Technical Analysis. Authored by Vail, C. and Borobia, M. UNEP, SPAW-RAC.
Ward, N., Bogomolni, A., Potter, C. (2013) A stranding guide to marine mammals of the Wider Caribbean region : An introduction field for stranding responders. Gecko Production Inc. ISBN : 978-1-891694-00-4.