Nature has a nifty way of throwing unexpected collaborations into the mix, and on that topic, might we introduce you to the panda dolphin. Known to science as the Commerson’s dolphin, it rocks an unusual pattern in black and white and has a curious habit of swimming upside-down.
Panda dolphins are divided into two subspecies, Cephalorhynchus commersonii commersonii that is found in South America, and Cephalorhynchus commersonii kerguelenensis which enjoys the waters off the Kerguelen Islands in the Indian Ocean. That puts them at an approximate distance of 8,500 kilometers (5,300 miles) from one another, but nobody’s quite sure what motivated the divide.
Those off the Kerguelen Islands are the largest at around 1.8 meters (5 foot 11 inches) in length, weighing a hefty 86 kilograms (190 pounds), compared to the more modest weight of 45 kilograms (99 pounds) seen in their South American cousins. Both subspecies rock the black and white pattern that’s inspired their many nicknames, which include panda dolphins, skunk dolphins, and piebald dolphins. There are lots of piebald animals in the world, characterized by irregular patches of two colors, most typically black and white. The underlying genetic cause of this patterning is closely related to leucism.
Leucistic animals exhibit a reduction in all pigmentation, rather than just melanin as seen in albinism. In piebald animals, only certain parts of the body have this reduced pigmentation.
But a jazzy tuxedo isn’t all the panda dolphins have to offer when it comes to alternative lifestyle. It’s thought that the black and white pattern may improve their chances when hunting as a form of disruptive camouflage that conceals the dolphins’ silhouettes. And to make it easier to spot their prey, they’ve adapted to do just fine swimming upside-down.
Panda dolphins don't appear to care for remaining in the water, nor indeed the right way up.
This might come as a surprise to anyone who’s been keeping up with killer whales’ shenanigans of late. These highly intelligent hunters will turn over large prey to induce tonic immobility, as flipping things like sharks puts them in a similar state to sleep.
Not so, for the plucky panda dolphin who merrily zooms about the ocean belly-side up. In fact, they’re famous for their acrobatics, as Whale And Dolphin Conservation states: “Commerson’s dolphins show typical dolphin curiosity towards humans and will readily approach boats to bowride and wake ride. They are energetic and active, often performing figure of eight swim-patterns underneath boats, spinning underwater and leaping clear of the water. Commerson’s dolphins also appear to enjoy surfing on waves close to shore.”
Panda dolphins? They're gnarly dudes.