Striped Dolphin

In honor of the 40+ striped dolphins that were slaughtered yearly this week, I hope my post can help bring an awareness to this absolutely beautiful creature!

Stenella coeruleoalba (blue/white oceanic dolphin)

Status: Least concern

Found in temperate and tropical waters around the world, the striped dolphin is easily recognized by it's distinct black bands that circle the eys and run across the sides to the pectoral fins. The dorsal (back) side is usually light blue to gray in color with a white or pink ventral (belly) side. The fluke, pectoral fins and dorsal fin are all black in color. Males can reach the length of 8.5 ft. and females reach the length of 8 ft. Their main diet is fish and squid.

Striped Dolphins are Pelagic dolphins which means they live in deeper waters. They move in large groups which often mix with common dolphins. They are active swimmers that are oftn seen leaping and breaching. Due to the fact that they are deeper water dolphins, the Striped dolphin does NOT do well in captivity. Most Striped dolphins die within 2 weeks of capture due to stress and refusal to feed.

Although the Striped Dolphin is covered/protected by several acts, it is still exploited in certain parts of the world. Japan still "drives" this dolphin and uses the meat for food. Up to 8,000 - 9,000 individuals have been killed at the height of the hunt. Japan has voluntarily lowered this number as it is not a good canidate for captivity and the want of dolphin meat is actually on the decline. Water pollution and drift nets are also a major threat to this species.

Things you can do to help the Striped Dolphin are quite simple! Please, clean up your trash on the beach, pick up other trash you may find. Everytime I go to the beach (which is every day) I bring a sand bucket with me and pick up a bucket full of trash either before or after I go in the water. This not only helps the ocean and its inhabitants but it makes for a much more enjoyable time at the beach. After all, wouldn't you want to take a walk on the beach with only sand and shells and not have to worry about stepping on a sharp piece of glass?

Also, if you eat seafood, make sure it's coming from a sustainable company. Please be aware that some "dolphin safe" tuna products are NOT dolphin safe. Do your research and find companies that make sure they are using the oceans resources properly.

Last but not least, make others aware that dolphin meat is high in Mercury. It is poison! I will not use my blog as a debate over pro-captivity vs. anti-captivity, however when the dolphin drives are being used and the dolphins are being butchered, this meat is distributed to school children. It would be the same thing if your child went to school and they were handed rat poison at lunch. I will never say to boycott Japan as I have read many people trying to do. First, it is not ALL of Japan that supports these hunts, it is a select, greedy few. We need to EDUCATE people on this serious matter, not turn our backs on them. You can write to your Japanese Embassy and POLITELY express your concern(s).

Please enjoy the video below of some Striped dolphins in the wild!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI6pUxTQ_Zs