Rough-toothed Dolphin Female Skull Replica

Description

Rough-toothed dolphin female skull replica measures 20.0 x 7.5 x 6.5 inches. The Steno bredanensis skull is a 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 lives in deep warm tropical waters around the world. It swims across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Georges Cuvier first described this animal in 1823. Its genus name comes from a Greek word that means narrow.

This name refers to the slender nose of the animal. Adults range from 6.9 to 9.3 feet in length. They weigh between 198 and 342 pounds. Males grow larger than females.

Its most visible trait is the conical head and slender nose. Other dolphins have shorter snouts or big bulging foreheads. The teeth have a rough surface formed by many narrow irregular ridges. This species has between 19 and 28 teeth in each quarter of the jaw.

The flippers sit further back on the body than other dolphins. People at sea can confuse this animal with the spinner, spotted, and bottlenose dolphins. The tall dorsal fin grows up to 11 inches high.

The sides of the body are light gray. The back and fin are much darker gray color. Older individuals often have pinkish, yellow, or white markings around the mouth and underside. They eat fish like silversides, sauries, houndfish, smelts, and cutlassfish. They also consume various squid and octopuses. Killer whales and sharks hunt this dolphin.

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)

Arrange this Rough-toothed dolphin female skull with the bottlenose dolphin skull replica to compare snouts against highly ridged teeth. Introduce the Pacific white-sided dolphin skull replica into your display to show off a beautifully sculpted northern ocean dolphin. You can also include the Risso’s gray dolphin skull replica to contrast a blunt, squared face with a tapering snout.