Fraser’s dolphin  (Lagenodelphis hosei)

Description

This tropical dolphin was scientifically described in 1956 from an individual washed up on a beach in Borneo (2), but was not actually recorded alive until the 1970s (5). Fraser’s dolphin can be identified by its stocky body and short beak, and by its small flippers, tail fin and triangular or slightly curved dorsal fin. The body bears a striking colour pattern, but one that varies with both age and sex. The back is brownish-grey, the lower sides of the body cream-coloured, and the belly is white or pink. A prominent black stripe runs along the side of the body from the eye to the anus; in adult males this is thick, while in adult females it is variable and in young dolphins the stripe is faint or completely absent. The same pattern occurs with a black stripe on the face; this is absent in calves and variable in females, while on adult males it is extensive and merges with the body stripe to form a ‘bandit mask’ (2).

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