The Black Dolphin

The black dolphin is an extremely rare species of dolphin, and it is found only off the coast of Chile. Because of its rarity, the black dolphin has not been studied extensively so there are many unknowns surrounding this type of dolphin. Here's what we do know about black dolphins:

The black dolphin has been through a bit of an identity crisis over the years. In Chile, black dolphins are called Tunina, but scientists have unanimously agreed to officially call this dolphin species the Chilean dolphin. Other names for the black dolphin include: white-bellied dolphin, Chilean dolphin and Chilean black dolphin.

Chilean dolphins were originally called black dolphins because their skin appears to be black in color. The true color of black dolphins, however, is actually varying shades of gray with a white belly and throat. It is thought that early specimens may have looked black because they had been stranded or washed up, causing their skin to darken in color.

In appearance, the Chilean dolphin is one of the smallest dolphin species, at just over 5 feet long. Their head is rounded and they do not have the protruding rostrum seen in more common dolphin species like the bottlenose dolphin. Because of their darker color and blunt head, Chilean dolphins are often mistaken for porpoises.

Chilean or black dolphins are not as playful as their bottlenose cousins. They are known to be fairly shy and difficult to approach, which is one reason why they are not well studied. While it is common to see some wild dolphin species splashing and jumping out of the water, the Chilean dolphin is rather calm and does not exhibit this behavior.

Many dolphins also seem to enjoy the wake created by boats and can often be seen riding these waves, much to the delight of the boat's passengers. Chilean dolphins are not known to ride along on a boat wake, and this may be due to their experiences with harpoon hunting in the late 1980s, when nearly 2000 Chilean dolphins were killed each year.

Hunting of dolphins has since been banned, but the Chilean dolphin population may still be in trouble. Although this species is relatively common on the coastline of Chile and the numbers being killed each year has been lowered, their populations are still threatened by hunters in addition to commercial fishing and encroachment on their habitat.

Commercial fisheries operating in the southern end of Chile, especially crab bait fishers, pose a danger to Chilean dolphins that are accidentally caught in fishing nets. There are no exact numbers, but it is a known fact that dolphins are frequently swept up in nets used by commercial fishing operations causing injury and death.

Another danger to the Chilean dolphin is the salmon aquaculture business that has taken over parts of their natural habitat. While the status of the Chilean dolphin may not be as urgent as some other endangered dolphins, they are a delicate species that must be watched and protected to ensure their long survival.