No photo available
Rough-toothed dolphin
Steno bredanensis
Valid name.
- English
- Rough-toothed dolphin
- Scientific
- Steno bredanensis
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Group
- Dolphins
- Maximum size
- About 2.6-2.8 m
- Depth and habitat
- Deep offshore waters
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2018
Description
A slender dolphin with a long, cone-shaped head that slopes smoothly into the beak without a crease, giving it an almost reptilian look. It is dark grey with a darker cape and often pinkish-white blotches around the lips and belly. Its teeth have fine vertical ridges, which give it its name. It travels in small groups, often swimming fast just under the surface, and feeds on squid and fish.
In the Maldives
Uncommon in the Maldives (0.3% of encounters in Anderson's surveys).
Sources
- sealifebase.se /summary/Steno-bredanensis.html
- mammalwatching.com /wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Maldives-cetaceans-review-2012.pdf
- mrc.gov.mv /assets/Uploads/2005-Observations-of-cetaceans-in-the-Maldives-1990-20
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Steno_bredanensis_LB_1.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in the cetacean literature reviewed (Anderson 2005; Anderson et al. 2012), FishBase/SeaLifeBase or Dhivehi Wikipedia.