Pacific white-sided dolphins are remarkable marine mammals that are crucially important in the health and balance of ocean ecosystems.
Shedd is one of only two U.S. aquariums where you can come face-to-face and connect with these exceptional animals. Before your next visit to the Abbott Oceanarium, meet the pod — Harmony, Kri, Katrl, Munchkin and Makoa — and discover the characteristics that make each individual unique. Plus, delve into how we continue to learn from, and share knowledge and insights about, this special species.
related content
The youngest dolphin at Shedd, Harmony (HAR-mun-ee), was born to Katrl on Aug. 31, 2020. Her name, chosen by fourth graders at Chicago Public Schools, represents the balance of humans and animals living in harmony on our shared blue planet.
Pacific white-sided dolphins are easily recognizable from other dolphin species by their black backs, gray sides and white bellies.
This coloring, called countershading, also helps them stay camouflaged from potential predators: looking down, a predator wouldn’t see their dark backs blending into the deep ocean, and looking up, a predator might miss their bellies that blend in with a lighter surface. Harmony is the only dolphin at Shedd that has long, bright white marks above her eyes that few Pacific white-sided dolphins have. This is known as a color morph.
As the youngest in the pod, Harmony continues to grow, now weighing about 220 pounds and measuring more than 6 feet 4 inches long, even surpassing adult Kri to match Munchkin in size. Harmony can often be seen spending time with Kri and Munchkin or sharing toys with Makoa.
Female Kri (KREE) is one of the larger dolphins at Shedd, at 6 feet 5 inches and 200 pounds. Kri has lived at Shedd since the aquarium opened the Abbott Oceanarium in 1991. Kri’s name comes from the language of the Tlingit, the Alaska Native Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Her name means “nine,” a reference to an early identification number.
Above each eye, Kri has a small white half-moon-shaped patch that looks like an eyebrow, which guests and caretakers can use to identify her. These are a duller white than the marks above Harmony’s eyes.
Katrl (kuh-TREHL) is the largest dolphin at 7 feet and 280 pounds. She has a tall, triangular-shaped dorsal fin with a white stripe along the leading edge. Katrl, whose name means “to breathe air” in the Tlingit language, was about 6 years old when she arrived at Shedd in December 1993.
Pacific white-sided dolphins can produce a variety of vocalizations. They don’t have vocal cords but can produce sounds through their blowholes to identify themselves. Caretakers say that each dolphin at Shedd has their own signature vocalization. Katrl has been known among her caretakers to also “blow raspberries.”
Munchkin (MUNCH-kin) was born Oct. 21, 2000 and has been at Shedd since late 2015. She has dark marks around her eyes, like shadowing, and the base of her tail is a lighter gray than the other dolphins.
Munchkin is 6 feet 4 inches long and 200 pounds — smaller than Kri but larger than male Makoa. One behavior that Munchkin especially excels at is a vertical jump. Pacific white-sided dolphins are one of the fastest and most acrobatic animals in the ocean. They can swim up to 25 miles per hour and jump 15 to 20 feet in the air to see above water or communicate with other dolphins. Munchkin’s jumps regularly reach 20 feet.
Makoa (mah-KOH-ah) was born June 1, 2015. The young adult male is 6 feet 1 inch long and weighs 195 pounds. As he has reached maturity, Makoa has started to display his dominance as the oldest male in the group.
“Makoa” is Hawaiian for “fearless.” Through the trusting relationship he has with his caretakers, Makoa seems ready to take on each new challenge with his own flair. An example is his breach behavior: he’ll turn and make a huge arc on his side while flying through the air.
Our Commitment to Care for Pacific White-Sided Dolphins
With a long common name, and an even more complicated scientific name — Lagenorhynchus obliquidens — Pacific white-sided dolphins are often called “lags” for short by the animal expert community.
We are learning from the lags at Shedd, and sharing the knowledge we gain about the species, every day. There is little scientific research on Pacific white-sided dolphins. Lags are pelagic, which means they inhabit open water in the Northern Pacific Ocean, making it a challenge to study them in the wild. Also, they are less common in aquariums than other species of dolphins.
For more than 30 years, Shedd has participated in collaborative efforts, including published studies that help the scientific community better understand lags’ hearing, acoustics, social behavior, reproductive physiology and immune system, providing a window into the biology and behavior of this ocean species.
Looking Nature in the Eye
The Pacific white-sided dolphins at Shedd can often be seen gliding through the water or swimming upside down from the underwater viewing area, or popping up above the surface as they socialize and play.
You can also see the pod interacting with more than 100 enrichment devices in rotation like spray hoses, balls and felt-like carwash material that mimics kelp. Enrichment provides the dolphins, and every animal at the aquarium, with opportunities for mental stimulation or physical activity, as well as encourages and complements unique behaviors and adaptations to enhance their overall wellbeing.
With each visit to see the Pacific white-sided dolphins, we hope you can feel connected to the aquatic animal world and better equipped to protect and conserve our shared blue planet.