- Length Adult: up to 9 ft ( 2.70 m ) Newborn: 31 in ( 80 cm )
- Weight Adult: 154 lb ( 70 Kg ) Newborn: 13.2 lb ( 6 kg )
They are considered coastal dolphins, although they have been observed more than 100 miles offshore. In the Argentine coast, they are found from San Matías Gulf to the island of Tierra del Fuego. They inhabit coasts, fjords, bays, estuaries and river mouths. Watching dolphins usually takes place in Playa Union, about 6 km from Rawson, a city that is 152 km away from Puerto Piramides.
They live in pods and you can see small groups of 2 to 10 dolphins, scattered over a large area. However, sometimes the size of the pod can reach a hundred. Commerson’s dolphins are fast swimmers and active. You can easily see them on the surface and frequently jumping, often making several jumps in a row before diving for 15 or 20 seconds.
Commerson’s dolphins in Playa Union
A escasos 5 km de Rawson, capital administrativa de la Provincia de Chubut, y 26 de la ciudad de Trelew, se realizan avistajes embarcados, de un singular mamífero marino. La Tonina Overa, pequeño delfín de color blanco impoluto y negro intenso, salta junto a las embarcaciones que durante todo el año las visitan.Para quien viene bajando del Norte, la desembocadura del Rio Chubut es el primer rincón de la costa argentina donde observar y conocer un animal marino endémico de la patagonia. De coloración blanca, hocico corto, aletas redondeadas de color negro al igual que la cabeza y su indistinguibles ojos.El licenciado Mariano Coscarella, investiga hace mas de quince años esta especie y nos facilita datos muy interesantes. Nos cuenta por ejemplo, que las hembras son un poco más grande que los machos, en general rondan 1,5 metros de largo, 50kg de peso y se alimentan de pejereyes, sardinas y calamares entre otros peces.
They can be seen swimming upside down so you can see the genital spot and determine its sex. Sometimes they can be seen surfing waves, the wakes from stem to stern of boats, and even in the wake of a whale. The maximum recorded age, determined by the growth bands on the teeth, is 20 years. They reach sexual maturity between 7 and 8 years. At birth, the calves are between 21 / 29 in ( 55 /75 cm ) long and weigh 3.7 lb ( 6 kg ) The first calves are observed in mid- November and it is possible that the time of calving is extended throughout the summer. During this season you can see mothers with calves swimming in sync with the rest of the pack.
Monument to the Commerson’s dolphins Playa Union – Rawson Chubut
