Chilean Dolphin - Population and Distribution

Population and Distribution

The population of the Chilean Dolphin, perhaps one of the least studied of all cetaceans, is not known with certainty. There may be as many as a few thousand individuals, although at least one researcher, Steve Leatherwood, has suggested that the population may be much lower (see also for a survey of South American cetacean population with data on the Chilean Dolphin). Whatever its number, the Chilean Dolphin is endemic to the coast of Chile and thought not to migrate. The dolphin is seen over a wider interval of latitudes than other Cephalorhynchus species - from Valparaíso at 33° S to Cape Horn at 55° S. The species appears to prefer areas of shallow water (less than 200 m depth) and in particular enjoys fast-flowing tidal areas and mouths of rivers.

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