Overview:

• The scientific name of this species is Steno bredanensis.
• This species is the only member of the genus Steno.
• Steno in Greek means narrow, which describes the beak of this animal.
• This animal has no sub-species.

Description of this species

This is a large species. The adult of this species ranges from 2.09 to 2.83 metres in length and weighs around 90 to 155 kilograms. The males of this species are larger than the females. The most visible characteristic of this species is its slender nose and conical head. The teeth of this species are also distinctive and they have a roughened surface that is formed due to numerous irregular ridges that are narrow. Its jaw is also very distinct with the lower jaw being white or whitish-pink in colour. The height of the dorsal fin of this species ranges from 18 to 28 centimetres.

The population of this species

This species inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Oceans. It is generally found in warm temperate to tropical waters. Fossils belonging to this have been found in Europe and they date back to the early to mid-Pliocene.

Reproduction of this species

A single dolphin is birthed by the rough-toothed dolphins after an unknown gestation period. At birth, the younglings are around 100 centimetres long and for the first five years of their life, they grow rapidly. Between the ages of six and ten, the females of this species reach sexual maturity, and among the males, it is between five to ten years.

Sighting of this species in Indian Waters

The Department of Environment and Forest’s Marine Mammals Research (MMR) team has reported the first-ever sighting of rough-toothed dolphins in the Indian waters around Lakshadweep.