Guyana Dolphin

About the Guyana Dolphin

The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), also known as the estuarine dolphin or costero, is a dolphin found in the coastal and estuary waters to the north and east of South America, and east of Central America. It is a member of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae).

During its 2008 Annual Meeting in Santiago, Chile, as proposed by Flores et al. (2008), the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) endorsed "Guiana dolphin" as the common English name for Sotalia guianensis in its IWC List of Recognized Cetacean Species (LRCS). Following this endorsement, Flores and colleagues also made the case for the adoption of the English name in the Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals.

The Guiana dolphin is frequently described as similar to the bottlenose dolphin in appearance, but it is typically smaller, at only up to 2.1 m (6.9 ft) in length. Individuals are light to bluish grey in coloration on their back and sides. The ventral region is light grey. The dorsal fin is typically slightly hooked, with a triangular shape. The beak is well-defined and of moderate length.

The Guiana dolphin is very similar in appearance to the... Wikipedia →