Rough-Toothed Dolphin Female Skull Replica
$393.00
Beyond its tropical and subtropical range, the rough-toothed dolphin is a specialized predator. This deep-water cetacean utilizes its unique, vertically ridged teeth to seize slippery prey like mahi-mahi and cephalopods, distinguishing its osteological profile from other oceanic dolphins found in the North Pacific.
- Description
- Additional information
Description
Rough-Toothed Dolphin Female Skull Replica measures 20 inches. Rough-toothed dolphin female 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 rough-toothed dolphin or Steno bredanensis is a species of dolphin that can be found in deep warm and tropical waters around the world.
The species was first described by Georges Cuvier in 1823. The genus name Steno, of which this species is the only member, comes from the Greek for ‘narrow’, referring to the animal’s beak; which is a diagnostic characteristic of the species.
The rough-toothed dolphin is a relatively large species, with adults ranging from 6.9 to 9.3 ft. in length, and weighing between 198 and 342 pounds; males are larger than females.
Its most visible characteristic feature is its conical head and slender nose; other dolphins either have a shorter snout or a more visibly bulging melon on the forehead.
As the common name for the species implies, the teeth are also distinctive, having a roughened surface formed by numerous narrow irregular ridges. Steno bredanensis have been reported to have between nineteen and twenty-eight teeth in each quarter of the jaw.
The rough-toothed dolphin flippers are set back further along the body than in other similar dolphins, although, at sea this dolphin may be confused with spinner, spotted and bottlenose dolphins. The dorsal fin is pronounced, being from 7.1 to 11.0 ins. in height.
The animal’s flanks are a light gray, while the back and dorsal fin are a much darker gray. Older Steno bredanensis individuals often have distinctive pinkish, yellow, or white markings around the mouth and along the underside.
Although details of the rough-toothed dolphin diet is sketchy, the stomach contents of stranded dolphins have included such fish such as silversides, sauries, houndfish, smelts, cutlassfish, various squid and octopuses.
Predators of rough-toothed dolphins are thought to include Killer whales and sharks.
Scientific Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Artiodactyla
- Infraorder: Cetacea
- Family: Delphinidae
- Genus: Steno
- Species: S. bredanensis
- Binomial name: Steno bredanensis G. Cuvier in Lesson, 1828
- Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1), CITES Appendix II
The distinctive, ridge-textured teeth of this species offer a fascinating osteological comparison to the smoother, more conical dentition of the pacific white-sided dolphin, which ranges through similar North Pacific latitudes.
Additional information
| Weight | 30 lbs |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 20 in |
| National Dolphin Day - April 14th | Each year on April 14th, National Dolphin Day recognizes the social and intelligent mammals of the water. |