Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Specy

Hourglass dolphin

Mammals

The hourglass dolphin (Cephalorhynchus cruciger) is a small, fast swimming dolphin of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters with a circumpolar distribution, generally found between about 45 and 67 degrees south, though it has been seen as far north as 33 to 36 degrees south in the South Atlantic and off Chile. It is colored black above and white on the belly, with two white patches on each flank, one near the beak and flipper and one toward the tail, joined by a thin white line to form the hourglass pattern that gives the species its name; its scientific name cruciger means cross carrier, describing the cross like pattern seen from above. Adult males measure about 1.8 meters and weigh over 90 kilograms, while juvenile females range from 1.6 to 1.8 meters and 70 to 90 kilograms, and the species prefers cold water between about minus 0.3 and 7 degrees Celsius, moving farther south in the austral summer and north in winter. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Diet
Piscivore 1
System (Realm)
Marine 2
Relationship to People
Hunted or Fished 3
Living or Extinct
Yes 4
Scientific Name
Lagenorhynchus cruciger 4
Conservation Status
Least Concern 5
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Appendix II 3
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Lagenorhynchus, Taxa
Source Hourglass dolphin (Wikidata)

In Biome

Open Ocean, Biomes
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Lagenorhynchus cruciger
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
2. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
3. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Animal Diversity Web: Lagenorhynchus cruciger
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
  • Conservation Status: CITES
    CITES Appendix II
  • Economic Importance for Humans: Positive (hunted-fished)
    Hourglass dolphins are not commercially harvested, but some are taken annually along with Dusky Dolphins, to be used as crab bait by local fishermen in Chile
  • In Biome: Open Ocean, Habitat Regions, biome: pelagic
    pelagic pelagic
View the Source
4. Hourglass dolphin (Wikidata)
Wikidata
  • Wikidata Q301018 (P225 taxon name)
  • Statements section, conservation status (P141)
    IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
  • Child Taxon Of: Lagenorhynchus, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q837606 (Lagenorhynchus)
View the Source
5. Hourglass dolphin (Wikipedia)
  • Infobox: status2
    CITES_A2
  • Infobox: status
    LC
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.