Sighting

Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus)

The Risso’s dolphin is one of the most easily identifiable dolphins thanks to its morphology and skin markings.

They reach a size of around 4 metres and weigh a tonne. They have a robust body, a large round head, a barely visible stripe on the forehead from the melon to the mouth and, above all, scars in the form of stripes all over the body that become more numerous as they grow older, and although they are born with a dark grey colouring, they become practically white at the end of their lives.

Its distribution reaches temperate, subtropical and tropical waters all over the planet. In the Canary Islands it is present throughout the year and can be frequently observed near the coast with slow movement rhythms and in small family groups.
They feed on cephalopods that they hunt at different depths.

The Risso’s pilot whale is one of the cetaceans recently included in the National Catalogue of Threatened Species, as well as having the category of ‘vulnerable’ species in the Canary Islands catalogue.

One of the most curious behaviours of the Risso’s dolphin is a vertical position that they maintain for a while in which they stick their tail fin out of the water, keeping their head and the rest of their body underwater.