Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Skull Replica

Description

Pantropical spotted dolphin skull replica measures 16.5 inches. Pantropical spotted 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 pantropical spotted dolphin or Stenella attenuata has a slender body, a long narrow beak, and a dark grey dorsal cape and dorsal fin. Light spots cover the dark areas of the body.

The lips are white and there is an average of 40 pairs of teeth per jaw. The undersides are pale grey with dark spots.

The pantropical spotted dolphin is a species of dolphin found in all the world’s temperate and tropical oceans. The species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna purse seines.

In the 1980’s, the rise of “dolphin-friendly” tuna capture methods saved millions of the species in the eastern Pacific Ocean and it is now one of the most abundant dolphin species in the world.

The pantropical spotted dolphin varies significantly in size and coloration throughout its range. The most significant division is between coastal and pelagic varieties.

The coastal form is larger and more spotted. (These two forms have been divided into subspecies only in eastern Pacific populations).

Spots are key defining characteristics of the pantropical spotted dolphin adults, though immature individuals are generally uniformly colored and susceptible to confusion with the bottle nose dolphin.

Populations around the Gulf of Mexico may be relatively spot-free even in adulthood. In the Atlantic, confusion is possible with the Atlantic spotted dolphin.

The pantropical spotted dolphin has a long, thin beak. The upper and lower jaws are darkly colored, but are separated by thin, white “lips”. The chin, throat, and belly are white to pale grey with a limited number of spots.

The flanks are separated into three distinct bands of color; the lightest at the bottom, followed by a thin, grey strip in the middle of the flank, and a dark-grey back.

The tall concave dorsal fin is similarly colored. The thick tail stock matches the color of the middle band.

Scientific Classification:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Artiodactyla
• Infraorder: Cetacea
• Family: Delphinidae
• Genus: Stenella
• Species: S. attenuata
• Binomial Name: Stenella attenuata (Gray, 1846)
• Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1), CITES Appendix II

This specimen’s notably lean rostrum stands in contrast to the robust cranial structure of the bottlenose dolphin, a species that frequently inhabits the same tropical marine zones.