Black Dolphin
| Scientific Name | Cephalorhyncus eutropia |  | |
| English Common Name | Black or Chilean Dolphin | ||
| Taxonomy | Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Sub-order: Odontoceti Family: Delphinidae Genus: Cephalorhynchus Species: eutropia | ||
| World Distribution | The Black dolphin is the only cetacean species endemic to Chile, restricted to cold, shallow coastal waters. Being a coastal species, it inhabits sheltered bays, channels, fjords and exposed coasts. | ||
| Morphology | Black dolphins are very poorly known and basic knowledge about its biology and ecology are still very limited. They have a small stocky body and have a relatively large rounded dorsal fin, a conical shaped head with sloping forehead, and an indistinct beak with white ‘lips’. They have a dark grey body that may seem brown at sea, with a white belly, a white throat and a small white patch behind each flipper. Black dolphins have between 56 and 68 teeth in their upper jaw and between 58 and 66 teeth in their lower jaw. Their length when they are born is unknown as well as their weight. The adults are quite small growing to only 1.2 - 1.7 meters and weighing between 30 and 65 kg. Their diet includes fish, squid and crustaceans. | ||
| Threats | The primary threats are incidental catch in local fisheries and the progressive destruction of potentially critical areas, mainly due to the rapid expansion of aquaculture activities. As with Dusky and Commerson’s dolphins, Black dolphins are illegally hunted to provide bait for use in traps in the Chilean king crab fishery. | ||
| Status | No abundance estimate for the species is available. | ||
| Conservation Activities | CMS Appendix II | ||
