Home Nature Tours Wildlife of British Columbia Dolphins
Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens)
Pacific white-sided dolphins are the acrobats of the ocean, putting on dazzling aerial displays as they leap, dive and bow-ride. They are distinguished by their torpedo-shaped bodies with dark dorsal (top) colouration and white underbellies.
Pacific white-sided dolphins live in pods of up to 1,000 members, although 50 members are more common. Each pod has one dominant male and a variety of other males and females. Mating occurs in the summer and fall and birth occurs about 12 months later when females give birth to a single calf.
Like many members of the Delphinidae family, Pacific white-sided dolphins are intelligent and highly social. Individuals in a pod will cooperate when hunting, ramming larger prey in quick succession. They are also known to help injured members of their pod.
Watch for the tell-tale “boiling water” when spotting dolphins on our Vancouver Island nature tours.
