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Orcinus orca
Delphinidae
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This website is a demonstrator for the integration of several informatics technologies useful in "in-silico" biodiversity science: Scratchpads, Taverna Player and BioVeL infrastructure for executing workflows. This particular example makes use of population census data for Killer Whales and abundance data for Chinook Salmon in the north-east Pacific Ocean, which has kindly been provided by Antonio Velez-Espino of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Please do not rely on the data or results information provided for any actual scientific, conservation or policy use. Mistakes herein (of which there are several) are solely the responsibility of the technical parties working on the technology integration. These include: Cardiff University, University of Manchester and the Natural History Museum, London.
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Collection Sites: world map showing specimen collection locations for Delphinidae
Oceanic dolphins are members of the cetacean family Delphinidae. These marine mammals are related to whales and porpoises. They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves. As the name implies, these dolphins tend to be found in the open seas, unlike the river dolphins, although a few species such as the Irrawaddy dolphin are coastal or riverine.
Six of the larger species in the Delphinidae, the killer whale, pilot (long-finned and short-finned), melon-headed, pygmy killer and false killer whales, are commonly called whales, rather than dolphins; they are also sometimes collectively known as "blackfish".
Characteristics[edit]
The Delphinidae are the most diverse of the cetacean families, with numerous variations between species. They range in size from 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) and 40 kilograms (88 lb) (Haviside's dolphin), to 9 metres (30 ft) and 10 tonnes (killer whale). Most species weigh between approximately 50 and 200 kilograms (110 and 440 lb). They typically have curved dorsal fins, clear 'beaks' at the front of their heads, and forehead melons, although exceptions to all of these rules are found. They have a wide range of colors and patterns.[1]
Most delphinids primarily eat fish, along with a smaller number of squid and small crustaceans, but some species specialise in eating squid, or, in the case of the orca, also eat marine mammals and birds. All, however, are purely carnivorous. They typically have between 100 and 200 teeth, although a few species have considerably fewer.
Delphinids travel in large pods, which may number a thousand individuals in some species. Each pod forages over a range of a few dozen to a few hundred square miles. Some pods have a loose social structure, with individuals frequently joining or leaving, but others seem to be more permanent, perhaps dominated by a male and a 'harem' of females.[1] Individuals communicate by sound, producing low-frequency whistles, and also produce high-frequency broadband clicks of 80-220 kHz, which are primarily used for echolocation. Gestation lasts from 10 to 12 months, and results in the birth of a single calf.
Taxonomy[edit]
- Suborder Odontoceti
- Superfamily Delphinoidea
- Family Delphinidae
- Genus Peponocephala
- Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra
- Genus Orcinus
- Killer whale (orca), Orcinus orca
- Orcinus citoniensis †
- Genus Feresa
- Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata
- Genus Pseudorca
- False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens
- Genus Globicephala
- Long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas
- Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus
- Genus Delphinus
- Long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis
- Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis
- Genus Lissodelphis
- Northern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis
- Southern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis peronii
- Genus Sotalia
- Genus Sousa
- Pacific humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis
- Indian humpback dolphin, Sousa plumbea
- Atlantic humpback dolphin, Sousa teuszii
- Genus Stenella
- Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis
- Clymene dolphin, Stenella clymene
- Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata
- Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris
- Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
- Genus Steno
- Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis
- Genus Tursiops
- Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
- Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus
- Burrunan dolphin, Tursiops australis
- Genus Cephalorhynchus
- Chilean dolphin, Cephalorhynchus eutropia
- Commerson's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii
- Heaviside's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
- Hector's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori
- Genus Grampus
- Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus
- Genus Lagenodelphis
- Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei
- Genus Lagenorhynchus
- Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus
- Dusky dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus
- Hourglass dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger
- Pacific white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
- Peale's dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis
- White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
- Genus Orcaella
- Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris
- Australian snubfin dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni
- Genus †Australodelphis
- Genus †Etruridelphis
- Genus Peponocephala
- Family Delphinidae
- Superfamily Delphinoidea
Recent molecular analyses indicate that several delphinid genera (especially Stenella and Lagenorhynchus) are not monophyletic as currently recognized.[3] Thus, significant taxonomic revisions within the family are likely.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Evans, Peter G.H. (1984). Macdonald, D., ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. pp. 180–185. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
- ^ Bianucci, G., Vaiani, S. C. & Casati, S. (2009): A new delphinid record (Odontoceti, Cetacea) from the Early Pliocene of Tuscany (Central Italy): systematics and biostratigraphic considerations. N. Jb. Geol. Paläont. Abh., 254: 275–292.
- ^ LeDuc, R.G.; Perrin, W.F.; Dizon, A.E. (July 1999). "Phylogenetic relationships among the delphinid cetaceans based on full cytochrome b sequences". Marine Mammal Science 15: 619–648. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.1999.tb00833.x. ISSN 0824-0469.
- ^ Hassanin, A., et al. (2012). "Pattern and timing of diversification of Cetartiodactyla (Mammalia, Laurasiatheria), as revealed by a comprehensive analysis of mitochondrial genomes". Comptes Rendus Biologies 335 (1): 32–50. doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2011.11.002.
- May-Collado, L., Agnarsson, I. (2006). Cytochrome b and Bayesian inference of whale phylogeny. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38, 344-354.
- Site sur les differents orques et leur mode de reproduction évitant la consanguinité. (French)
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oceanic_dolphin&oldid=616558004 |
You wouldn't think so, but there are thousands of dolphins swimming in the southern North Sea. There used to be a lot of bottlenose dolphins as well, but now you see white-beaked dolphins more often. Every once in awhile, a short-beaked common dolphin or a white-sided dolphin is spotted. Even more rare are Risso's dolphins, striped dolphins, orcas or pilot whales. Beaked whales form a separate group and include the bottlenose whale. These are ocean animals, which occasionally swim into the North Sea.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Ecomare |
Source | http://www.ecomare.nl/index.php?id=4186&L=2 |
Je zou het misschien niet zeggen, maar er zwemmen duizenden dolfijnen in de zuidelijke Noordzee. Vroeger kwam de tuimelaar ook veel voor, maar tegenwoordig zie je de witsnuitdolfijn vaker. Zo nu en dan worden er gewone dolfijnen of witflankdolfijnen gespot. Nog zeldzamer zijn grijze dolfijnen, gestreepte dolfijnen, orca's en grienden. De spitssnuitdolfijnen vormen een aparte groep, waar ook de butskop bij hoort. Dit zijn dieren van de oceaan, die af en toe in de Noordzee terecht komen.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Ecomare |
Source | http://www.ecomare.nl/index.php?id=4186&L=2 |
The family Delphinidae has been called a 'taxonomic trash basket', because many small to medium-sized odontocetes of various forms have been lumped together in this group for centuries. Consequentely, the so-called delphinids are diverse in form. They range in size from 1 to 1.88 m dolphins of the genera Sotalia and Cephalorhynchus, to the killer whale, in which males can reach lengths of at least 9.8 m. However, most delphinids share the following characteristics: a marine habitat, a noticeable beak, conical teeth, and a large falcate dorsal fin set near the middle of the back. There are exceptions to everyone of these rules, except the presence of basically conical teeth. <123>
- MASDEA (1997).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License |
Source | http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=136980 |
Biosonar gives an accurate imaging: dolphin
High resolution biosonar of dolphins, bats and mole rats gives an accurate imaging by using real-time data processing.
"Biosonar animals send ultrasonic sounds called 'pings' into the environment. The shape of the returning signals, or echoes, determines how these animals 'see' their surroundings, helping them to navigate or hunt for prey. In a matter of tens of milliseconds, the neurons in the animal's brain are capable of a full-scale analysis of their surroundings represented in three dimensions, with little energy consumption. Even with the aid of a supercomputer, which consumes thousands of times more energy, humans cannot produce such an accurate picture, Prof. Intrator says...'Animals explore pings with multiple filters or receptive fields, and we have demonstrated that exploring each ping in multiple ways can lead to higher accuracy,' he explains. 'By understanding sonar animals, we can create a new family of ultrasound systems that will be able to explore our bodies with more accurate medical imaging.'" (Hunka 2011:1)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
- Hunka G. 2011. Bats, dolphins, and mole rats inspire advances in ultrasound technology. EurekAlert [Internet], Accessed November 14.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/259f8c4ae41f871f052e4f4966fc9906 |
Chirps carry through water: dolphins
Chirps of dolphins carry through water because they are multi-rate, ultra-short wave forms.
"Dr. Mohsen Kavehrad, director of the Center for Information and Communications Technology Research at Penn State, is using multi-rate, ultra-short laser pulses or wavelets that mimic dolphin chirps to make optical wireless signals that can penetrate fog, clouds, and other adverse weather conditions. The multi-rate feature increases the chances that some of the pulses will get through the obstacle. The new approach could help bring optical bandwidth, capable of carrying huge amounts of information, to applications ranging from wireless communication between air and ground vehicles on the battlefield to short links between college campus buildings to metropolitan area networks that connect all the buildings in a city." (Courtesy of the Biomimicry Guild)
Learn more about this functional adaptation.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | (c) 2008-2009 The Biomimicry Institute |
Source | http://www.asknature.org/strategy/98d95c82f86e1b1fb819e4fe3f8ed146 |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records: | 378 | Public Records: | 228 |
Specimens with Sequences: | 238 | Public Species: | 25 |
Specimens with Barcodes: | 236 | Public BINs: | 21 |
Species: | 30 | ||
Species With Barcodes: | 25 | ||