Family Delphinidae (Dolphins)

IDENTIFICATION
Risso's Dolphin (also known as the Grey Grampus) can grow to four metres long. At birth its body is a uniform slate grey, but with age it becomes lighter and accumulates numerous scars. An older animal may be completely white, except for its fins and flippers, which remain dark for the dolphin's entire life. Risso's Dolphin is shaped much like a porpoise; its dorsal fin, located near the middle of the back, is tall, back-curved and pointed. Calves are born sometime around December and are about 1.5 metres long.

MEALS, MANNERS AND MIGRATION
Risso's Dolphin feeds on cuttlefish and a variety of fishes. It probably moves north annually during the spring and summer, like other dolphins whose range is in temperate waters.

STATUS
Risso's dolphins are rarely sighted in British Columbia, but COSEWIC has designated them as not at risk.

DISTRIBUTION
Found throughout the world in tropical to warm temperate waters. In the Pacific, Risso's Dolphin ranges as far north as 50°N latitude. In British Columbia, there are only a few records of occurrences in coastal waters; but these dolphins are likely more common offshore because of their preference for deeper waters. The species undergoes seasonal shifts in distribution based on changing water temperatures, moving north and offshore in the summer.