Wildlifeof China
Pacific White-sided Dolphin
Whales, Dolphins & Dugong
Photo: (c) Daniel Z, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0
Aethalodelphis obliquidens
Basic stats
Diet
Hake, anchovies, squid, herring, salmon and cod
Habitat
Cool-temperate, generally deep offshore waters
Range
North Pacific Ocean, south to the South China Sea and Baja California
Gestation period
Approximately 1 year
Size
Females to 2.3m; males to 2.5m
Weight
Females to 150kg; males to 200kg
The Pacific white-sided dolphin has a dark back and beak, creamy-white underside and sweeping pale-grey flank patches. Males reach approximately 2.5m and 200kg, while females reach about 2.3m and 150kg. A 2025 taxonomic revision placed the species in Aethalodelphis; older sources use Lagenorhynchus or Sagmatias obliquidens. (Wikipedia, general species account)
It inhabits cool-temperate North Pacific waters, reaching the South China Sea at the southwestern edge of its range. The species eats fishes and squid and commonly forms energetic schools that bow-ride and leap. Groups often contain 10–100 dolphins, with much larger aggregations also recorded. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Pacific White-sided Dolphin eat?
- Hake, anchovies, squid, herring, salmon and cod
- What habitat does the Pacific White-sided Dolphin live in?
- Cool-temperate, generally deep offshore waters
- Where is the Pacific White-sided Dolphin found?
- North Pacific Ocean, south to the South China Sea and Baja California
- How long is the gestation period of the Pacific White-sided Dolphin?
- Approximately 1 year
- How big is the Pacific White-sided Dolphin?
- Females to 2.3m; males to 2.5m
- How much does the Pacific White-sided Dolphin weigh?
- Females to 150kg; males to 200kg