Commerson's Dolphin

Fascinating facts about the Commerson's Dolphin

• A Commerson's dolphin's brain is nearly as large as a human's, yet it runs on a body no bigger than a golden retriever. Their neocortex — the thinking part — is proportionally larger than in most dolphins, suggesting they solve problems in the frigid waters off Patagonia and around the Falkland Islands with a level of cognitive flexibility that still puzzles researchers who study them.
• These dolphins are living yin-and-yang: the southern populations around the Falklands are a stark black-and-white patchwork, while dolphins 1,000 km north in Patagonian bays are all grey. Scientists have no definitive explanation for why these two groups of the same species look so different, making Commerson's dolphins a living riddle of evolution.
• Commerson's dolphins hunt in water so cold — often below 8°C — that most marine mammals would lose body heat faster than they could eat. They compensate by eating roughly 4% of their body weight daily, compared to 1–2% for tropical dolphins. A 50 kg dolphin must hunt 2 kg of fish and squid per day just to stay warm and alive.
• In the 1970s there were roughly 2,000 Commerson's dolphins in the Falkland Islands; today fewer than 500 remain. The collapse happened in decades, coinciding with gillnet fishing for squid. Many dolphins drowned in nets meant for other prey, making them an accidental casualty of industrial fishing that few outside marine science circles have heard of.
• A newborn Commerson's dolphin is born in water so cold it would cause hypothermia in a human within minutes. Calves are protected by an extra-thick layer of blubber laid down in the womb, and mothers keep them in warm surface waters for weeks before introducing them to the open ocean. Birth itself takes place in these waters, a feat of reproductive adaptation few land mammals could survive.

At a glance

About the Commerson's Dolphin

In the crystal-clear waters of the southernmost tip of South America, the Commerson's dolphin dances with unbridled joy, its diminutive form darting and weaving through the waves with an effortless elegance. As it moves, its distinctive black and white markings seem to shimmer and glow, like the polished hues of a perfectly crafted gemstone, drawing the eye inexorably to this charismatic creature. With a playful nature and an irrepressible spirit, the Commerson's dolphin embodies the very essence of the ocean's untamed beauty.

Discover more wildlife