Species guide
Fraser's dolphin
Lagenodelphis hosei
At a glance
Conservation, taxonomy and Madeira records reviewed . Review sources.
- Global IUCN conservation status
- Least Concern — assessment published .
Global extinction risk is separate from sighting frequency in Madeira.
- Identification
- Chunky body, blue-grey on the upper-side and creamy on the undersides, with tiny, pointed and dark flippers.
- Grey to black lateral stripe that extends from face to anus and which varies in width and intensity between the individuals.
- Size
- Maximum length: 2.7 m
- Recorded occurrence in Madeira
- Reported on local trips, including June 2022.
- Madeira records and season
- No dependable seasonal window established by the cited records.
Identification and size summarize profile notes updated . Local records are past observations, not a prediction of sightings.
Read the identification notes ↓- Taxonomic authority
- Fraser, 1956
- Family
- Delphinidae
- Cetacean group
- Odontoceti
Sightings in Madeira
The five Fraser's dolphin reports discussed in the 2012 checklist are a historical total, not a current count. Historical evidence.
Our June 2022 trip report lists this species. This is an operator observation, not a population estimate.
No dependable seasonal window established by the cited records. The months in individual reports should not be treated as the limits of a season.
ID characteristics
Chunky body, blue-grey on the upper-side and creamy on the undersides, with tiny, pointed and dark flippers.
Grey to black lateral stripe that extends from face to anus and which varies in width and intensity between the individuals.
Short but well defined beak.
Dorsal fin is triangular and relatively small.
Surface behaviour
It has an aggressive swimming style, making a lot of splash and often in large pods.
Normally shy and rarely playful.
Distribution
Pantropical distribution from 30º North to 30º South in deep waters
Social
Frequently observed in mixed groups of Melon-headed, False killer and Short-finned pilot whales and Stripped dolphins.
Diet
Feeds on mesopelagic fish, crustaceans and cephalopods. Often feeds at surface as well.
Biometrics
Max length: 2.7 m
Adult weight: 160 - 210 kg
Common names in other languages
- Portuguese: Golfinho-de-fraser
- German: Borneo-Delphin
- French: Dauphin de Fraser
- Spanish: Delfín de Fraser
- Italian: Lagenodelfino
- Dutch: Sarawakdolfijn
- Polish: Delfin Malajski
- Swedish: Kortnäbbad delfin
- Danish: Hvidskæving-delfin
- Norwegian: Sarawakdelfin, Borneodelfin
Names vary by language and region. This list is not exhaustive. Multilingual name records. Norwegian names: University of Bergen Marine Lexicon.
Review sources
Conservation, taxonomy, local occurrence and seasonality checked on . The assessment publication year is separate from this editorial review date. Identification, size, other biology notes and multilingual aliases are outside this review unless a specific source is cited alongside them.
- IUCN Red List: Lagenodelphis hosei — global species assessment, published 2018.
- Society for Marine Mammalogy: species and subspecies list (April 2026) — Scientific names, authorities, families and English names. Mysticeti and Odontoceti are treated as unranked groups.
- IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group: Red List status of cetaceans — Global species categories cross-checked against the specialist group's overview, updated October 2025. Regional and subpopulation assessments are separate.
- IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group: November 2018 assessments — Global assessment publication years and category changes. A category change need not indicate a recent population change.
- Freitas et al. (2012): New records of cetacean species for Madeira Archipelago with an updated checklist — Table 1 and species accounts distinguish sightings, catches and strandings. Record totals and last-record dates describe evidence available through December 2012.
The linked trip reports document operator observations. They do not independently confirm every identification or measure population size, abundance or the probability of a sighting.