Hourglass dolphin

How it lives

Groups are usually 10 to 15 animals in one account and average about seven in another, and they can reach about 100. They often ride the bow waves of ships and swim with large whales. Little is known about breeding in the wild, and what is quoted for gestation comes from related species.

Where it goes

Hourglass dolphins live in cold open water around Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic, between about 43 and 67 degrees south, and are rarely near land. They are seen most often near the Antarctic Convergence. Some sources say they follow cold-water currents and move north in winter, and there are sightings as far north as 36 degrees south in the South Atlantic.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

The IUCN record I read lists it as Least Concern. A figure of about 144,300 animals south of the Antarctic Convergence comes from surveys between 1977 and 1988, so it is old. No major threats are known. A few bycatch reports exist, and some stranded animals have shown net scars.