Lagenorhynchus albirostris
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) is a marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) in the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales). The species was first described by the British taxonomist John Edward Gray in 1846. Due to its relative abundance in European waters, it was among the first of the genus Lagenorhynchus (lagenos, Latin for "bottle" or "flask"; rhynchos, "beak" or "snout") to be known to science. Its specific name, albirostris, translates to "white beak", a reference to the color of the species' beak, a diagnostic (albeit variable) trait useful in identification.
The white-beaked dolphin is a robust species of dolphin with a short beak. Adults can reach 2.3 to 3.1 m (7 ft 7 in to 10 ft 2 in) long and weigh 180 to 354 kg (397 to 780 lb). Calves are 1.1 to 1.2 m (3 ft 7 in to 3 ft 11 in) long at birth and probably weigh about 40 kg (88 lb). The upper body and flanks are dark grey with light grey patches, including a 'saddle' behind the dorsal fin, while the underside is light grey to almost white in color. The flippers, fluke, and the tall, falcate, dorsal fin are all a darker grey than the body. As... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Svalbard | 🇳🇴 Norway |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dierenpark Hoenderdaell | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-beaked Dolphin sighting in Svalbard on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-beaked Dolphin in Svalbard on a given day, against under 5% in January–July and November, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-beaked Dolphin sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Svalbard, in our data
Svalbard is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate White-beaked Dolphin sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Cetacea
The closest relatives of the White-beaked Dolphin that you can see in Svalbard (order Cetacea) are Beluga (about 40%), Minke Whale (about 40%) and Humpback Whale (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-beaked Dolphin is recorded against all the mammals logged in Svalbard (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
