Peale's dolphin

Peale's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus australis), also called the black-chinned dolphin, is a small dolphin of the coastal waters around Tierra del Fuego at the foot of South America. It is endemic to southern South America, seen on the Pacific side as far north as Valdivia, Chile, and on the Atlantic side up to about 44 degrees south near Golfo San Jorge, Argentina, with sightings in the south reaching almost 60 degrees south in the Drake Passage. It is often found where water moves fast, at the entrances to channels and narrows, near kelp beds and in sheltered bays. Adults are about 2.1 metres long and weigh about 115 kilograms, with a dark grey face and chin, a black back marked by an off-white stripe along each side, a white belly and a white patch behind each flipper. It feeds mainly on bottom fish such as southern cod and Patagonian grenadier, along with octopus, squid and shrimps, and groups are small, usually about five. Chilean fishermen once killed thousands each year for crab bait, and the species is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. It was moved from Lagenorhynchus to Cephalorhynchus in 2025.