Hourglass dolphin
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| Hourglass Dolphin | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Size comparison against an average human
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 Least Concern |
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| Lagenorhynchus cruciger (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) |
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 Hourglass Dolphin range by logan gould
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The Hourglass Dolphin is small and wide compared to other dolphins. It only lives in the very cold waters of the Antarctic It was hardly ever seen until a drawing was made of it in 1820. Only 6 Hourglass dolphins have been examined by scientists. Boats don't usually go where they live.
The Hourglass Dolphin is black and white and for this reason was called the "sea cow". On each side there is a white patch that looks a little like an hourglass shape. That is how it got it's name. and hence the common name of the dolphin. An adult is about 1.8 m in length and weighs 90-120 kg. Males are probably smaller and lighter than females, but we dont know for sure. If you are where it lives in is easy to tell from other dolphins. There is only one other dolphin that is as small in the area. Hourglass Dolphins usually stay in groups of 5-10. Once a group of 60 was recorded. They like to ride the bow of boats. There are usually Fin Whales with them. It is thought they eat small fish and squid.
The Hourglass Dolphin stays around the Antarctic. Some have been seen from the south of New Zealand and Chile. We think there are at least 140,000 of them.
