Risso's Dolphin

Grampus griseus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Grampus
Species: Grampus griseus

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is a large, beakless dolphin with a rounded head creased down the front and a tall, dark dorsal fin. Its grey skin becomes covered in white scratches from squid and from other Risso's dolphins, so older animals can appear almost white.

Reaching around 3.8 m, it feeds almost entirely on squid caught at night over steep slopes and deep canyons. Groups are typically small to medium and travel slowly, often logging at the surface.

In the Philippines Risso's dolphins are recorded in deep waters including the Bohol Sea and Sulu Sea, where steep drop-offs bring squid close to the surface. They are usually seen on dedicated whale-watching trips rather than on dives.

Photo: Charlotte Kirchner, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist