Risso’s Gray Dolphin Skull Replica

Description

Risso’s Gray Dolphin skull replica measures 22″L x 15″W x 11″H. Risso’s gray 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.

Risso’s gray dolphin or Grampus griseus is the only species of dolphin in the genus Grampus. It is commonly known as the Monk dolphin among Taiwanese fishermen.

Risso’s gray dolphin has a relatively large anterior body and dorsal fin, while the posterior tapers to a relatively narrow tail.

The bulbous head has a vertical crease in front. Older individuals appear mostly white. Most individuals have two to seven pairs of teeth, all in the lower jaw.

Risso’s gray dolphin has a relatively large anterior body and dorsal fin, while the posterior tapers to a relatively narrow tail. The bulbous head has a vertical crease in front. Length is typically 10 feet, although specimens may reach 13.12 feet.

Like most dolphins, males are typically slightly larger than females. This species weighs 660 to 1,100 lb., making it the largest species called dolphin.

Risso’s gray dolphins can breed and give birth year round. The gestation period is about 13 to 14 months. They nurse their calf for about 12 to 18 months. The females are the primary caregivers for the calves.

Linear scars mostly from social interaction eventually cover the bulk of the body; Risso’s gray dolphins tend to be unusually heavily scarred. Older individuals appear mostly white.

Risso’s gray dolphins are found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters, usually in deeper waters rather, but close to land.

As well as the tropical parts of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, they are also found in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean and Red Seas.

They range as far north as the Gulf of Alaska and southern Greenland and as far south as Tierra del Fuego.

Their preferred environment is just off the continental shelf on steep banks, with water depths varying from 1,300 to 3,300 ft. They feed almost exclusively on neritic and oceanic squid.

Scientific Classification:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Grampus
Species: G. griseus
Binomial name: Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812)
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1), CITES Appendix II

To broaden your study of North Pacific cetaceans, pair this specimen with the northern right whale dolphin skull to examine the slender, beakless cranial structure of its frequent deep-water social partner.