Fraser's Dolphin

Lagenodelphis hosei

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Lagenodelphis
Species: Lagenodelphis hosei

Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) is a stocky oceanic dolphin with a very short beak, small flippers and a small triangular dorsal fin. Many individuals show a dark band running from the eye to the anus, contrasting with a pale belly.

It lives over deep tropical waters, feeding on mid-water fish, squid and crustaceans at considerable depth. Fraser's dolphins travel in tightly packed, fast-moving herds that churn the surface when they flee from boats.

In the Philippines this species is regularly recorded in deep waters such as the Bohol Sea and Sulu Sea, sometimes mixed with other oceanic dolphins. It is rarely seen near reefs, so encounters are almost always from vessels offshore.

Photo: Tommy Andriollo, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist