Northern-right whale dolphin

Scientific Name: Lissodelphis borealis
Other Names: Pacific Rightwhale Porpoise
Length: 6.5-9.8 ft. (2-3 m.)
Weight: approx. 130-220 lbs. (60-100 kg.)
Teeth: 150-200

This species was named in 1848. the body of this slender dolphin is 2m. long and all black except for white areas along the abdomen. It has small narrow pointed flippers which have a black outer surface. The skull is slender and the beak short and pointed.  Each jaw supports 80 teeth. The first two cervical vertebrae are fused. Like all members of the genus it has no dorsal fin. The flukes are small. It is a relatively abundant species in the deep waters of the northern Pacific as far south as California to which area it is restricted.

It feeds on fish and squid. Large herds of several hundred are normal. They can swim at over 15 knots.
Little is known about migratory habits although it seems possible that they respond to seasonal changes, moving north in summer and south in winter. They appear to associate often with other species of dolphin to form mixed herds. Very little is known about their reproductive behavior.