Risso's dolphin

Risso's dolphin is named after Antoine Risso, whose study of the animal formed the basis of the recognized description by Georges Cuvier in 1812.{{cite journal |last1=Cuvier |first1=L.C.F.D. |title=Rapport sur divers cétacés pris sur les côtes de France. |journal=Annales du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris |date=1812 |volume=19 |pages=1–16 [13] |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/14686 |quote=Delphinus griseus Cuvier, 1812.}} The holotype referred to a specimen at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, an exhibit using preserved skin and skull obtained at Brest, France.{{cite journal |last1=Hershkovitz |first1=P. |year=1966 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7869923 |title=Catalog of living whales |journal=Bulletin of the United States National Museum |issue=246 |pages=viii 1–259 |doi=10.5479/si.03629236.246}}

The type and sole species of the genus Grampus refers to Delphinus griseus Cuvier 1812. A proposition to name this genus Grampidelphis in 1933, when the taxonomic status of 'blackfish' was uncertain, and conserving the extensive use of "Grampus" for the 'killer' Orcinus orca", also suggested renaming this species (Grampidelphis exilis Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1933).{{cite journal |last1=Iredale |first1=Tom |last2=Troughton |first2=Ellis Le G. |title=The correct generic names for the Grampus or Killer Whale, and the so called Grampus or Risso's Dolphin |journal=Records of the Australian Museum |date=1933 |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=28–36 |doi=10.3853/j.0067-1975.19.1933.689 |url=https://journals.australian.museum/iredale-and-troughton-1933-rec-aust-mus-191-2836/|doi-access=free }} These were recognised as synonyms after publication of the Catalog of Whales (Hershkovitz, 1966).

Another common name for the Risso's dolphin is grampus (also the species' genus), although this common name was more often used for the orca. The etymology of the word "grampus" is unclear. It may be an agglomeration of the Latin {{Lang|fr|grandis piscis}} or French {{Lang|fr|grand poisson}}, both meaning big fish. The specific epithet griseus refers to the mottled (almost scarred) grey colour of its body.

File:Grampus griseus for Edward Drinker Cope.jpg in 1876]]

File:Grampus griseus 3d scan Natural History Museum University of Pisa C 295.stl

Risso's dolphin has a relatively large anterior body and dorsal fin, while the posterior tapers to a relatively narrow tail. The bulbous shape of the head has a vertical crease in front.{{cite book

|editor1-last = Perrin

|editor1-first = William F.

|editor2-last = Wursig

|editor2-first = Bernd

|editor3-last = Thewissen

|editor3-first = J. G. M.

|title = Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals

|last = Baird

|first = Robin W.

|page = 975

|edition = 2nd

|publisher = Academic Press

|location = Burlington Ma.

|year = 2009

|isbn = 978-0-12-373553-9

|url = http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/716899/description#description

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091109165656/http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/716899/description#description

|archive-date = 9 November 2009}}

File:Risso's dolphin mother and calf.jpg

Infants are dorsally grey to brown and ventrally cream-colored, with a white anchor-shaped area between the pectorals and around the mouth. In older calves, the nonwhite areas darken to nearly black, and then lighten (except for the always dark dorsal fin). Linear scars mostly from social interaction eventually cover the bulk of the body; scarring is a common feature of male to male competition in toothed whales, but Risso's dolphin tend to be unusually heavily scarred. The pronounced appearance of these scars results from the lack of repigmentation, which may be advantageous as a display that reduces further challenges from other males.{{Cite journal|last=MacLeod|first=Colin D.|date=January 1998|title=Intraspecific scarring in odontocete cetaceans: an indicator of male 'quality' in aggressive social interactions?|journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=244|issue=1 |pages=71–77| doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.1998.tb00008.x|issn=0952-8369}} Older individuals appear mostly white. Most individuals have two to seven pairs of teeth, all in the lower jaw.

File:Risso's Dolphin fins.jpg

Length is typically {{convert|10|ft|m}}, although specimens may reach {{convert|13|ft|m}}.{{cite web| title = Grampus griseus – Risso's dolphin | publisher = Animal Diversity Web | url = http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Grampus_griseus.html}} Like most dolphins, males are typically slightly larger than females. This species weighs {{convert|300|-|500|kg|lb}}, making it the largest species called "dolphin".American Cetacean Society Fact Sheet – [http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/RissosDolphin.htm Risso's Dolphin] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711025653/http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/RissosDolphin.htm |date=11 July 2007 }}[http://www.whale-web.com/dolphins/risso.html Risso's Dolphin]. Whale Web. Retrieved 22 September 2015.

File:Risso's Dolphin.jpg.]]

File:Risso's Dolphin in the Gulf of Genoa.jpg

Risso's dolphins are found nearly worldwide, from cold and temperate to tropical waters, in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, as well as parts of the Baltic Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean, North and Red Seas (excepting the Black Sea; however, a rare stranding was recorded in the Sea of Marmara in 2012).[http://www.blackmeditjournal.org/pdf/121_126.pdf First stranding record of a Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) in the Marmara Sea, Turkey] (pdf). Retrieved 6 September 2017). There have been several documented sightings in Roskilde Fjord, in the waters of Lejre Vig, just off of the coast of Skjoldungernes Land National Park, Denmark. Analysis of Risso's dolphins found in the U.K. and in the Mediterranean display variations in mitochondrial DNA. It is possible that one reason for these differences could be the lack of interaction between individuals in the two locations. {{Cite journal |last1=Bearzi |first1=Giovanni |last2=Reeves |first2=Randall R. |last3=Remonato |first3=Elisabetta |last4=Pierantonio |first4=Nino |last5=Airoldi |first5=Sabina |date=2011-07-01 |title=Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus in the Mediterranean Sea |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1616504710000935 |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=76 |issue=4 |pages=385–400 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2010.06.003 |bibcode=2011MamBi..76..385B |issn=1616-5047}}

In the Pacific, they range from French Polynesia west to Samoa, north to the Hawaiian Islands, as far as the Gulf of Alaska. However, they are absent from the waters of the western Pacific (off of Asia) beyond Futuna. They are quite common along the western coasts of British Columbia, the United States and Mexico, continuing their range to the southern tip of Tierra Del Fuego. In the eastern Atlantic, they have been sighted as far south as the offshore waters of Liberia, Guinea and Western Africa north through the Canary Islands and the Azores to southern Greenland. On the western Atlantic side, Risso’s dolphins have been seen as far south as Guyana and Martinique; they can be found throughout much of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico to Florida and the Bahamas, and all along the American Eastern Seaboard and the Canadian Maritime Provinces.

Their preferred environment is just off the continental shelf, on steep banks, with water depths varying from {{convert|400|–|1,000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and water temperatures at least {{convert|10|C|F}} and preferably {{convert|15|–|20|C|F}}. They have been recorded diving to depths of up to {{cvt|600|m}} in pursuit of prey.Visser Fleur, Keller Onno A., Oudejans Machiel G., Nowacek Douglas P., Kok Annebelle C. M., Huisman Jef and Sterck Elisabeth H. M. 2021 [https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202320 Risso's dolphins perform spin dives to target deep-dwelling prey] R. Soc. open sci.8:202320

Since at least 2017, Risso's dolphins have begun to appear off of the subarctic Norwegian coast, [https://eol.org/pages/46559260 as far north as Bleik's Canyon], off of Andøya. The repeated, regular sightings imply an expansion of their natural range. Possible explanations for this movement are a changing climate or varying water currents, as well as a northward migration of prey species or competition with other cetaceans, such as pilot whales.

Due to the low population density of the species, Risso's dolphins are widely considered difficult to establish an accurate estimate of population size in any given area. {{Cite journal |last1=Bearzi |first1=Giovanni |last2=Reeves |first2=Randall R. |last3=Remonato |first3=Elisabetta |last4=Pierantonio |first4=Nino |last5=Airoldi |first5=Sabina |date=2011-07-01 |title=Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus in the Mediterranean Sea |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1616504710000935 |journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=76 |issue=4 |pages=385–400 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2010.06.003 |bibcode=2011MamBi..76..385B |issn=1616-5047}}

File:Risso's dolphin.jpg]]

They feed almost exclusively on neritic and oceanic squid, mostly nocturnally. Predation does not appear significant. Mass strandings are infrequent. Analysis carried out on the stomach contents of stranded specimens in Scotland showed that the most important species preyed on in Scottish waters is the curled octopus (Eledone cirrhosa).{{cite report|url=http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/530.pdf|last1=MacLeod|first1=C.D.|last2=Santos|first2=M.B.|last3=Pierce|first3=G.J.|year=2014|title=Can habitat modelling for the octopus Eledone cirrhosa help identify key areas for Risso's dolphin in Scottish waters?|series=Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report|volume=530|access-date=24 December 2016|publisher=Scottish Natural Heritage|archive-date=24 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224233542/http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/530.pdf|url-status=dead}}

A population is found off Santa Catalina Island where they are sympatric with short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and both species feed on the squid population. Although these species have not been seen to interact with each other, they take advantage of the commercial squid fishing that takes place at night. They have been seen by fishermen to feed around their boats.{{Cite journal|last=Shane|first=Susan H.|year=1995|title=Behavior patterns of pilot whales and Risso's dolphins off Santa Catalina Island, California|url=https://aquaticmammalsjournal.org/share/AquaticMammalsIssueArchives/1995/AquaticMammals_21-03/21-03_Shane.pdf|journal=Aquatic Mammals|volume=21|issue=3|pages=195–197|via=Aquatic Mammals Issue Archives}} They also travel with other cetaceans. They surf the bow waves of gray whales, as well as ocean swells.

Risso's dolphins have a stratified social organisation.{{Cite journal|last1=Hartman|first1=K. L.|last2=Visser|first2=F.|last3=Hendriks|first3=A. J.E.|date=14 March 2008|title=Social structure of Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) at the Azores: a stratified community based on highly associated social units|journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology|volume=86|issue=4|pages=294–306|doi=10.1139/Z07-138|bibcode=2008CaJZ...86..294H |issn=0008-4301}} These dolphins typically travel in groups of between 10 and 51, but can sometimes form "super-pods" reaching up to a few thousand individuals. Smaller, stable subgroups exist within larger groups. These groups tend to be similar in age or sex.{{Cite web|url=https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animal-guide/marine-mammals/risso-dolphin|title=Risso's dolphin, Open Waters, Marine mammals, Grampus griseus at the Monterey Bay Aquarium|website=montereybayaquarium.org|access-date=27 April 2018}} Risso's experience fidelity towards their groups. Long-term bonds are seen to correlate with adult males. Younger individuals experience less fidelity and can leave and join groups. Mothers show a high fidelity towards a group of mother and calves, but it is unclear whether or not these females stay together after their calves leave or remain in their natal pods.

File:Risso's dolphins en.webm work on the conservation of Risso's dolphins around Bardsey Island, Wales]]

Like many dolphin species, they use echolocation to target cephalapods and fish that are feeding below. Tagging of a population in the Azores revealed that Grampus griseus plan whether to make a shallow or deep dive, with different strategies that create profitable foraging for the considerable expenditure in time and energy. Risso's can achieve depths over {{cvt|600|m}} by exhausting their lungs and using several spins to rapidly descend, almost vertically, and increase the time spent foraging. This allows the species to exploit a deep and dispersed layer of prey such as squid, those taking refuge during daylight when they become more vulnerable to predation. When feeding in shallow depths, however, Risso's can experience competition from other cetaceans.{{Cite journal |last1=Visser |first1=F. |last2=Merten |first2=V. J. |last3=Bayer |first3=T. |last4=Oudejans |first4=M. G. |last5=de Jonge |first5=D. S. W. |last6=Puebla |first6=O. |last7=Reusch |first7=T. B. H. |last8=Fuss |first8=J. |last9=Hoving |first9=H. J. T. |date=2021-04-02 |title=Deep-sea predator niche segregation revealed by combined cetacean biologging and eDNA analysis of cephalopod prey |journal=Science Advances |language=en |volume=7 |issue=14 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.abf5908 |issn=2375-2548 |pmc=8011969 |pmid=33789903|bibcode=2021SciA....7.5908V }}

Risso's dolphins are known to have a very active surface presence, often either displaying their tail flukes and pectoral fins, or slapping the surface of the water. They have also been known to engage in a behavior called spy-hopping, a common behavior in cetaceans where an individual vertically pokes their head out of the water. {{Cite web |last=Fisheries |first=NOAA |date=2022-09-16 |title=Risso's Dolphin {{!}} NOAA Fisheries |url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/rissos-dolphin |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=NOAA |language=en}} Recent studies have discussed the possibilities of spy-hopping as a sexual behavior, as it is typically only done in the presence of other individuals. {{Cite journal |last=Lusseau |first=David |date=2006-11-01 |title=Why do dolphins jump? Interpreting the behavioural repertoire of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376635706001604 |journal=Behavioural Processes |volume=73 |issue=3 |pages=257–265 |doi=10.1016/j.beproc.2006.06.006 |pmid=16884864 |issn=0376-6357}} Risso's dolphins do not require cutting teeth to process their cephalopod prey, which has allowed the species to evolve teeth as display weapons in mating conflicts.

{{See also|Dolphin#Reproduction and sexuality}}

Gestation requires an estimated 13–14 months, at intervals of 2.4 years. Calving reaches seasonal peaks in the winter in the eastern Pacific and in the summer and fall in the western Pacific. Females mature sexually at ages 8–10, and males at age 10–12. The oldest specimen reached 39.6 years.

Risso's dolphins have successfully been taken into captivity in Japan and the United States, although not with the regularity of bottlenose dolphins or orcas.

Recent studies have shown a possibility of hybridization occurrences between Risso's dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. So far, there have been for possible hybrid individuals documented in United Kingdom waters. Hybridization is not something that is uncommon with cetaceans, so it is likely that these hybrids do not have any evolutionary advantage but instead are more likely an uncommon chance event.{{Cite web |title=UK Risso's dolphin project |url=https://uk.whales.org/whales-dolphins/how-we-help/uk-rissos-dolphin-project/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Whale & Dolphin Conservation UK |language=en-GB}}

Like other dolphins and marine animals, there have been documentations of these dolphins getting caught in seine-nets and gillnets across the globe. Many of these incidents have resulted in death. Small whaling operations have also been cause of some of these deaths. Pollution has also affected many individuals who have ingested plastic. Samples from these animals shows contamination within their tissue.

Increasing oceanic noise due to human presence in the ocean threatens populations of Risso's dolphins. The intensity of anthropogenic noise can push dolphins to strand themselves and to leave their typical habitats. {{Cite web |last=Fisheries |first=NOAA |date=2022-09-16 |title=Risso's Dolphin {{!}} NOAA Fisheries |url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/rissos-dolphin |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=NOAA |language=en}} Evidence shows that motorized vessels create a low-frequency noise that disrupt typical acoustic behavior. This behavior is measured by the regular click trains, buzzes, pulses, and barks. The click trains produced by Risso's dolphins are necessary for Risso's dolphins to navigate through their environment and identify prey. Barks are more often used in social settings. {{Cite journal |last1=Carlucci |first1=R. |last2=Cipriano |first2=G. |last3=Bonato |first3=M. |last4=Buscaino |first4=G. |last5=Crugliano |first5=R. |last6=Fanizza |first6=C. |last7=Gatto |first7=S. |last8=Maglietta |first8=R. |last9=Papetti |first9=C. |last10=Pelagatti |first10=M. |last11=Ricci |first11=P. |last12=Santacesaria |first12=F. C. |last13=Papale |first13=E. |date=2024-08-01 |title=Anthropogenic noise effects on Risso's dolphin vocalizations in the Gulf of Taranto (Northern Ionian sea, central Mediterranean sea) |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964569124001625 |journal=Ocean & Coastal Management |volume=254 |pages=107177 |doi=10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107177 |bibcode=2024OCM...25407177C |issn=0964-5691|hdl=11577/3513786 |hdl-access=free }}

In Ireland, though not apparently in England, Risso's Dolphin was one of the royal fish which by virtue of the royal prerogative were the exclusive property of the English Crown.{{cite book |last = Ball| first= F. Elrington | title=History of Dublin| volume= 5 | year = 1917| publisher=Alexander Thom and Co. | location= Dublin| page= 49}}

A famed individual named Pelorus Jack was widely reported between 1888 and 1912, travelling with ships navigating the Cook Strait in New Zealand. A law protecting the animal was passed after a public outcry, renewed twice more, but suggested be invalid by its reference to Fisheries acts that did not concern marine mammals.{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4696/the-story-of-pelorus-jack |title=The story of Pelorus Jack |first=Gerard |last=Hutching |encyclopedia=Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand |date=1 September 2015 |access-date=14 June 2020 |quote=... Pelorus Jack ....was so named because he would meet boats near the entrance to Pelorus Sound, in the Marlborough Sounds. ...' |archive-date=14 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614013713/https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4696/the-story-of-pelorus-jack |url-status=live }}

The Risso's dolphin populations of the North, Baltic, and Mediterranean Seas are listed on Appendix II"[http://www.cms.int/documents/appendix/Appendices_COP9_E.pdf Appendix II] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611112003/http://www.cms.int/documents/appendix/Appendices_COP9_E.pdf |date=11 June 2011 }}" of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). As amended by the Conference of the Parties in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008. Effective: 5 March 2009. of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), since they have an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.[http://www.cms.int/reports/small_cetaceans/data/g_griseus/g_griseus.htm Convention on Migratory Species page on the Risso's dolphin]. Cms.int (25 June 1998). Retrieved 22 September 2015.

In addition, Risso's dolphin is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS),[http://www.ascobans.org Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas]. Ascobans.org. Retrieved 22 September 2015. the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS),[http://www.accobams.org/ Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area]. Accobams.org. Retrieved 22 September 2015. the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU)[http://www.pacificcetaceans.org/ Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region]. Pacificcetaceans.org. Retrieved 22 September 2015. and the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia (Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU).[http://www.cms.int/species/waam/index.htm Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia]. Cms.int. Retrieved 22 September 2015.

Risso's dolphins are protected in the United States under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1992. Currently, Japan, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and The Lesser Antilles hunt Risso's dolphins.

At least one case report of strandings in Japan's Goto Islands has been associated with parasitic neuropathy of the eighth cranial nerve by a trematode in the genus Nasitrema.{{cite journal|pmid=1474668|year=1992|last1=Morimitsu|first1=T|title=Histopathology of eighth cranial nerve of mass stranded dolphins at Goto Islands, Japan|journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases|volume=28|issue=4|pages=656–8|last2=Kawano|first2=H|last3=Torihara|first3=K|last4=Kato|first4=E|last5=Koono|first5=M|doi=10.7589/0090-3558-28.4.656|doi-access=}} There was a recent reporting of a juvenile male Risso's dolphin that was stranded alive on the coast of Gran Canaria on 26 April 2019. This was the first documented case of capture myopathy and stress cardiomyopathy in a male juvenile Risso's dolphin that has received rehabilitation.{{Cite journal|last1=Câmara|first1=Nakita|last2=Sierra|first2=Eva|last3=Fernández|first3=Antonio|last4=Arbelo|first4=Manuel|last5=Bernaldo de Quirós|first5=Yara|last6=Arregui|first6=Marina|last7=Consoli|first7=Francesco|last8=Herráez|first8=Pedro|date=29 January 2020|title=Capture Myopathy and Stress Cardiomyopathy in a Live-Stranded Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus) in Rehabilitation|journal=Animals|volume=10|issue=2|pages=220|doi=10.3390/ani10020220|pmid=32013196|pmc=7070958|issn=2076-2615|doi-access=free}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World {{ISBN|0-375-41141-0}}
• Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals {{ISBN|0-12-551340-2}}
• Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Mark Carwardine, {{ISBN|0-7513-2781-6}}

{{Commons category|Grampus griseus}}

• [http://www.wdcs.org: Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080513180103/http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/mammals/Grampus_griseus/ ARKive] Photographs, video
• [http://cetus.ucsd.edu/voicesinthesea_org/species/dolphins/rissos.html Voices in the Sea – Sound of the Risso's Dolphin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709200450/http://cetus.ucsd.edu/voicesinthesea_org/species/dolphins/rissos.html |date=9 July 2014 }}
• {{SealifePhotos|137098}}

{{Cetacea}}{{Taxonbar|from=Q203897}}

{{Authority control}}

Risso's dolphin

Category:Cosmopolitan mammals

Risso's dolphin

Risso's dolphin