La Plata Dolphin Skull Replica
$439.00
Exceptionally long, narrow rostrum housing 54 pairs of small, conical teeth in the upper jaw and 54 pairs in the lower jaw. The cranium exhibits mild directional asymmetry around the dorsal nares and contains small, laterally positioned eye sockets.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
La Plata dolphin Skull Replica measures 15.0L x 5.5W x 4.0H in. La Plata dolphin skull replica is museum-quality polyurethane resin cast from California Academy of Sciences specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and mandible). 1:1 scale. Made in USA.
The La Plata dolphin is a species of dolphin found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. La Plata dolphin or Pontoporia blainvillei has the longest beak (as a proportion of body size) of any cetacean.
The body is a grayish brown color, with a lighter underside. The flippers are also very large in comparison with body size and are very broad, but narrow on joining the body. The trailing edges are serrated. The crescent-shaped blowhole lies just in front of a crease in the neck. The dorsal fin has a long base and a rounded tip.
The La Plata dolphin has homodont dentition with conical shaped teeth. The number of teeth range from 48 to 61 on each side of its upper and lower jaw. They are found in Uruguay and South American coastal waters and estuaries.
La Plata dolphins are very inconspicuous, it moves very smoothly and slowly and can be difficult to spot unless estuary conditions are very calm. It will commonly swim alone or in small groups. Exceptional groups as large as 15 have been seen.
La Plata dolphins are bottom feeders and gut inspections have revealed they eat at least 24 different species of fish, depending on which species are most common. The La Plata dolphins will also take octopus, squid and shrimp.
La Plata dolphins are found in the coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America, including the Río de la Plata estuary. Its distribution ranges from the Tropic of Capricorn near Ubatuba, Brazil, south to Península Valdés, Argentina.
It is the only member of the river dolphin group that lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries, rather than freshwater.
Scienific Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Artiodactyla
- Infraorder: Cetacea
- Superfamily: Inioidea
- Family: Pontoporiidae
- Genus: Pontoporia
- Species: P. blainvillei
- Binomial name: Pontoporia blainvillei Gervais & d’Orbigny, 1844
- Conservation status: Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1), CITES Appendix II
For a broader comparison of river-dwelling cetaceans, pair this specimen with the Indus River dolphin skull to observe the evolutionary differences between South American and South Asian species.
Additional information
| Weight | 35 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 15.0 × 5.5 × 4.0 in |