Risso’s dolphin is the only species of the genus Grampus. Some of the closest related species to these dolphins include: pilot whales , pygmy killer whales, melon-headed whales, and false killer whales; looking at the pictures, it is perhaps clear that these are similar – they do have similar shapes.Â
Risso’s dolphin is named after Antoine Risso, whose study of the animal formed the basis of the recognized description by Georges Cuvierin 1812.
As you can see from the map, their range is pretty large, emcompassing much of the worlds land that lies near land, though not all. Estimated numbers given add up to 300,000 though the number is probably higher, as many areas have not been calculated, and as such their is no global estimate.
The belong to Appendix ii, though they have an unfavourable status.
Below is a video of a risso dolphin, below that is a list of any places where it has been mentioned on this website (or will be in the future) and below that we will try to list places where you can see these animals.
One place to see Risso dolphin (not always, but from time to time) is Cardigan bay on the west side of Wales in the UK