These dolphins are mostly found living far offshore, normally in shoals of 6 to 20, although in one exceptional case of more than 1500. They are often observed together with the Atlantic white-sided dolphin. They are powerful swimmers who love to surf on bow waves of ships. [details]

Diet: clupeids, gadids and hake are the principal diet. Other fish, cephalopods and benthic crustaceans are also eaten. [details]

Dimensions: Length: male 8-10' (2.4-3 m), female 8-10' (2.4-3 m), at birth 4' (1.2 m); Weight: 200 kg on average [details]

Distribution: Northern East and West Atlantic Ocean  [details]

Habitat: temperate to subpolar, mostly in deep water [details]

Habitat: inshore to mainly offshore [details]

Holotype: Skeleton and figure of an animal in the British Museum (Natural History), London, no. 916a-48.7.12.12, collected by Mr. Brightwell. [details]

Importance: Are or were hunted along the coasts of several northern Atlantic countries including Norway, Iceland and Newfoundland. [details]

IUCN Red List Category: Least Concern (LC) [details]

Morphology: White-beaked dolphins are rather large, robust dolphins. The back is dark grey and black, with a lighter ‘saddlespot’ behind the dorsal fin. A dark grey to whitish line can be found above the eye which continues over the flanks to the anus. The colour is highly variable. The body is fairly stocky. The beak is rather short and the flippers are large and pointed.  [details]

Morphology: Distinguishing characteristics: robust body, with a short, thick beak about 5-8 cm long in adults. The beak is distinctly set off from the melon. The dorsal fin is at mid-body. It is proportionally large (up to 15% of body length), often rounded at the peak, and strongly recurved. Both the dorsal fin and the flukes apparently decrease in size relative to other body dimensions as the dolphin ages. The pointed flippers can be up to 19% of the total adult length. The thickened tail stock tapers gradually. The beak of most white-beaked dolphins is white, often mottled with light grey or with greyish or blackish spots, but in some it is almost entirely grey (though paler than the head). The dark dorsal field anterior to the dorsal fin is sometimes separated from the dark melon by a transverse light grey stripe, a brownish-grey patch or a bold whitish "chevron" around and behind the blowhole that may extend downwards from the melon to encircle the eye.  [details]

Reproduction: Calves born between June and September. Reach sexual maturity at a length of 1.95 m. (at birth are about 115 m long.) [details]

Type locality: Great Yarmouth, England. [details]