IDENTIFICATION CARD

 

DETERMINATION OF THE LENGHT

It's foundamental first of all to determine the approximatively lenght of the animal; you have to consider that what emerges out of the water should be only a portion of the animal, accustom yourself to imagine the rest of the body; could be useful to compare the lenght of the body and the boat one. 

lenght 

 less then 4 meters from 4 to 10 meters over 10 meters

go to the letter

 A B C

 

A RISSO'S DOLPHIN BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN STRIPED DOLPHIN COMMON DOLPHIN ROUGH TOOTHED DOLPHIN
head rounded, without rostrum marked melon, roster short and squat melon quite marked, rostrum long and thin melon not so marked, roster very long and thin melon receding united with the long and thin rostrum
dorsal fin very high, arcuated, in medium position quite high, arcuated, in medium position medium, triangular, quite arcuated quite high, arcuated, in medium position high, arcuated, in medium position
coloration all tonality from grey to clear grey, with scratch on the body and on the head saddle-cloth from dark grey to clear grey, flanks more clear with shade not clean, white abdomen saddle-cloth dark grey with white strip to the thorax, dark strips from the eye to genital zone, white abdomen saddle-cloth dark grey,  thorax cream color and caudal grey, dark strips from mouth to genital zone and from jaw to pectoral, white abdomen dark grey back, saddle-cloth clear grey, flanks clear with dark spot, sometimes white around the mouth
dimension  3,5 mt. 3 mt. 2 mt. 2 mt. 2,3 mt.
aspect
emersion profile

 

B KILLER WHALE MINKE WHALE CUVIER'S BEACHED WHALE PILOT WHALE FALSE KILLER WHALE
head rounded, rostrum quite marked triangular and cuneiform, airhole pulled back little melon, rostrum very short spherical rounded but not spherical, without rostrum
dorsal fin high or very high, triangular (male) arcuated (female and young), in medium position medium dimension, arcuated, pulled back little, triangular, quite arcuated, pulled back short, with base bigger than height, rounded apex, pulled forward medium dimension, arcuated, in medium position
pectoral fin rounded, very large little and lanceolate little and thin long and arcuated little, quite thin
coloration black and white, white temporal spot, grey strip behind the dorsal fin grey, white strip on the pectoral fin from dark grey to clear with spot and scratch black or brown dark grey or black
breath not much visible vertical, in backward position of the snout not much visible not much visible not much visible
caudal peduncle pronounced pronounced pronounced upon very arcuated pronounced
dimension 5-7 mt. 6 mt. 6 mt. 5-6 mt. 4,5-5 mt.
aspect
emersion profile

 

C FIN WHALE SPERM WHALE
head triangular and cuneiform, airhole pulled back squared
dorsal fin arcuated, pulled back triangular, blunted
skin smooth, grey with white shading on the back, right side of the jaw white, white abdomen grey with corrugation and undulation
breath high, vertical, in backward position of the snout short, in front-left position of the head
swim at about 2 mt. of depth short series of emersions for breathe, followed with an immersion of about 10 minutes distinguishable by the bending of the back and by the emersion of the back too with the caudal peduncle in emersion slow swim with many breath, immersion with showy extraction of the tail
dimension over 20 mt. 10-16 mt.
aspect
emersion profile