Rough-toothed Dolphin

Fascinating facts about the Rough-toothed Dolphin

• Rough-toothed dolphins can plunge deeper than most coastal species, reaching at least 50 metres and staying submerged for up to fifteen minutes. Live sightings are almost universally made beyond the continental shelf, in water at least one kilometre deep, confirming they habitually occupy offshore habitats.
• Their sonar clicks are exceptionally brief, never exceeding 0.2 seconds, and sweep a low-frequency band from 2.7 to 256 kHz, with a peak around 25 kHz, giving them a distinctive acoustic signature. In addition to these clicks they produce longer whistles that range between 3 and 12 kHz.
• A survey conducted in the 1980s in the eastern Pacific produced the only large-scale population estimate for the species, counting roughly 150 000 individuals. Most research on rough-toothed dolphins has focused on this region, providing the bulk of our knowledge about their numbers. No comparable counts exist for other ocean basins, leaving the global population largely uncertain. This single estimate therefore remains the benchmark for assessing their abundance.
• Each quarter of the jaw bears a distinctive set of 19 to 28 rough-textured teeth, giving the species its name and a unique bite surface. The teeth are covered in narrow irregular ridges that make the chewing edge feel sandpaper-like. The outer jaw is especially conspicuous, and the lower jaw is usually white with a possible pinkish hue. This dental arrangement, together with the narrow beak, helps identify the dolphin in the field.
• Social groups usually number ten to twenty individuals, yet temporary aggregations can swell to as many as ninety, far larger than the core family units. These larger gatherings are thought to be fleeting mixes of smaller, more permanent groups of two to eight closely related dolphins that occasionally join together.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Rough-toothed Dolphin

In the warm, sun-drenched waters of the tropical oceans, the rough-toothed dolphin glides effortlessly, its sleek, grey body undulating through the waves with a fluidity that belies its robust build. As it moves, its dorsal fin slices through the surface, leaving a trail of glittering, diamond-like shards of light in its wake, a testament to its remarkable agility and speed. With a curious, enigmatic gaze, this elusive creature navigates the ocean's depths, a master of the underwater realm, its very presence a reminder of the magic that lies just beneath the waves.

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