Southern Right Whale Dolphin Lissodelphis peronii (Lacépède, 1804)

Southern right whale dolphins are one of the most unknown extant delphinids, being one of the few species in the Delphinidae family having not been recorded so far. Occurrences are limited to sporadic sightings and stranding individuals but also from old capture records in whaling vessels. Southern right whale dolphins are normally found in offshore, cold pelagic waters with temperatures of 1–20 °C, although they can occur nearshore under influence of cold currents or where deep waters approach the coast. These animals are highly associated with the cold Humboldt (Chile-Peru) and Malvinas (Falklands) currents on both western and eastern South America. Southern right whale dolphins present a slender and dorsoventrally compressed body shape, reaching approximately three meters long. The maximum weight recorded for the species was 116 kg for a 2.1 m long individual. The most distinguishing feature of this species is the absence of the dorsal fin compared to other toothed whales. This chapter is a review of recent literature to add to the few information available from this species. Additionally, it is reported to be the second record of this species in Brazil.