The Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) belongs to the Delphinidae family (which groups dolphins) in the genus Lagenorhynchus. Its length does not exceed 2.1m and it can weigh up to 90 kg.
It can be confused with Peale’s dolphin (Lagenorhynchus australis), but differs from  this as the grayish-white strip along the flanks divides into two points towards the front of the body, its face is not dark, and it is very white behind the dorsal fin.

Distribution
It is only found in the Southern Hemisphere, and can be seen in South America, New Zealand, the Kerguelen Islands and South Africa.
In South America it is most commonly seen from Península Valdés up to the province of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic, and from Valparaíso, Chile, up to Peru on the Pacific.

Biology and Ecology
It is gregarious and of coastal habits. It is extremely acrobatic, having been seen to make leaps of over 4 metres in height which it can repeat over and over again, up to more than 15 consecutive times. These leaps can be made cleanly, or they can splash with different parts of the body on re-entering the water.
They can be seen mixing with other species of cetaceans (such as the Southern right whale and the Common dolphin), with South American sea lions and with several species of seabirds.

Conservation
Dusky dolphin has been accidentally caught in fishing nets and illegally harpooned (in Peru) in order to use its meat and blubber as bait in shark fishing.
IUCN considers this species Data Deficient (DD), and it is included in Appendix II of CITES.
Fundación Cethus participated on a pilot study to investigate this species in Golfo Nuevo, Península Valdés, in late 1998/early 1999. In charge of the project were the researchers Bernd Würsig (Marine Mammal Research Program, Texas A&M University, USA); Kathleen Dudzinski (Faculty of BioResources, Mie University, Japan) and Alejandro Acevedo (Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, USA).