DOLPHINS OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR • Lissodelphis borealis • the ‘southern’ northern right whale dolphin •

Northern right whale dolphins are a bit more conservative in their strangeness. There is only one anomalous colouration pattern, seen with some regularity all across the species’ range, which is more or less the same in all individuals. Dubbed ‘swirled’, these animals appear to possess some form of leucism whereby the white markings are extended beyond their normal reach. The face and throat in particular are substantially stained, the belly marking reaches higher up the flanks and the pectoral fins are often more light than dark. On some individuals, faint outlines of the regular colouration can still be seen, which I have illustrated here.