Color patterns in white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) from Iceland

Abstract

Few studies have examined the natural complex pigmentation patterns of white-beaked dolphins. From 2002 to 2014, whale-watching trips in Iceland provided a platform of opportunity to collect a large body of photographs of free-ranging individuals from a single area of distribution for this species. Based on 823 images, 571 individuals showing one or more color components were identified, and assigned to the following four age classes: adults (n = 437), juveniles (n = 109), calves (n = 14), and neonates (n = 11). A total of 26 color components were observed and described: seven terms previously applied to white-beaked dolphins, 12 previously applied to other dolphin species, and seven newly defined terms. Results showed that each age class could be positively identified by differences in specific color components, some of which were exclusive. Therefore, color patterns may prove useful in estimating maturity in free-ranging white-beaked dolphins. This tool could be further refined through assessment of a wide sample of freshly stranded specimens of known sex and age, which could reveal new age class-specific components, as well as sexually dimorphic characteristics not seen here. Geographic variation should be investigated by comparing image data sets and stranded animals from different parts of the North Atlantic.