Dead Stranded Odontocetes in Maryland Since 1990

Striped Dolphin - These dolphins are 7-8.5 feet in length. Their slender bodies are dark dorsally with lighter gray sides, white to pink belly and throat. They have black stripes from their eyes to their anus and from their eyes to their flippers. Their beak is long and sharply defined and they have a tall, curved dorsal fin. Their teeth are small, sharp and conical with 86-100 in both the lower and upper jaw. Their diet consists of deepwater squid, fish and shrimp.

Sperm Whale - These whales can reach lengths of 59 feet and can weigh 68 tons. Their bodies are dark gray-brown, with some lighter blotches on body and scarring around head, with corrugated skin. They have huge, square heads with a narrow underslung lower jaw. They have a hump-like dorsal fin followed by smaller bumps along the dorsal ridge. Their teeth are large and conical shaped with 36-50 in the lower jaw only. Their diet consists of squid.

Dwarf Sperm Whale - These short, robust whales measure appoximately 7-9 feet in length. They have a dark gray back with lighter sides and a white belly. A "false gill" is located behind each eye. Their head is small and shark-like with a short slightly pointed snout and a tiny underslung lower jaw. They have a falcate, erect, dolphin-like dorsal fin that is located near the mid-back. Their teeth are short, thin and curve inward with 16-22 in the lower jaw and 2-6 in the upper jaw. Their diet consists of squid, fish, and crustaceans.

Pygmy Sperm Whale - These whales can grow to 10-12 feet in length. They have a dark gray back with lighter sides and a white belly. They have pale crescent-shaped "false gills" on each side between their eyes and flippers. Their short, robust body has a squared or conical shark-like head with a tiny underslung lower jaw. Their tiny but falcate dorsal fin is located aft of mid-back. They have long, sharp teeth that curve inward and have 24-36 teeth in the lower jaw. Their diet consists of squid, fish and crustaceans.

Long-Finned Pilot Whale - Adult males are 25 feet in length and weigh 2 tons. Adult females are 19 feet in length and weigh 1.2 tons. They are black in color with a light anchor-shaped patch on their throat and variable lighter markings on their belly. They have a long robust body with a bulbous head with a indistinct beak. Their long flippers are sickle-shaped. They have a low but prominent, broad based and strongly curved dorsal fin with a rounded tip that is located far forward on the back. They have peg-like teeth with 16-24 in both the upper and lower jaws. Their diet consists of squid.

Short-Finned Pilot Whale - Adult males are 20 feet in length and weigh 2 tons. Adult females are 17 feet in length and weigh 1.2 tons. They are brownish black to dark gray except for light markings on throat and belly. They have a long robust body with a bulbous head with a prominent melon and slight beak. They have curved, pointed flippers and a low, broad based dorsal fin located far forward on back. They have peg-like teeth with 14-18 on both upper and lower jaws. Their diet consists of squid.

Bottlenose Dolphin - Adult bottlenose dolphins vary in size. They can measure lengths on 6-12 feet. They are blue-gray to brown in color with lighter sides and belly. They have robust bodies and their head has a short, thick well-defined beak. Their dorsal fin, located mid-back, is moderately high and falcate with a broad base. They have small, conical teeth with 40-52 in the upper jaw and 36-48 in the lower jaw. Their diet consists of a variety of fish and invertebrates. The offshore or pelagic bottlenose eats squid and small fish.

Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin - These dolphins measures 8-9 feet in length. Their backs, the top of their beaks, flippers and flukes are black. They have gray sides, a white belly and a white band below the dorsal fin that connects with a yellow band on the tail stock. They have a short two colored beak and a tall dorsal fin. Their teeth are sharp and conical with 58-80 in the upper jaw and 58-80 on the lower jaw. Their diet consists of a variety of schooling fish and squid.

Common Dolphin - These slender dolphins can measure 7.5-8.5 in length. They have complex yellow/tan and gray crisscross pattern on sides, a black back and a white belly. Their beaks are often black with a white tip. They have a long pointed beak and a tall, falcate dorsal fin that is located mid-back. Their teeth are small, sharp, and conical with 80-100 in both upper and lower jaws. Their diet consists of a variety of fish and squid.

Harbor Porpoise - These are the smallest cetaceans in the U.S. Atlantic. They measure 4.5-6 feet in length. They have a dark gray to black back with lighter sides and a white belly with a dark narrow band between the mouth and flipper. They have small pointed flippers and no beak. Their small, triangular dorsal fin is located slightly aft of mid-body. Their teeth are small and spade-shaped with 40-56 in both the upper and lower jaw. Their diet consists of schooling fish and invertebrates including herring, mackerel, and squid.