CreatureData

Risso's dolphin

Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812)

LCLeast Concernwhales and dolphins

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Delphinidae. It is a marine, nocturnal carnivore in the giant size class, with an adult body mass of 387.5 kg and values from 342.5 kg to 460 kg.

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Photo: National Marine Mammal Laboratory, no individual author credit given · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the risso's dolphin

Its lifespan is 30 years, with values up to 42.5 years, and the IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

Weight
342.5 kg – 460 kgsrc for Weight
Length
3.05 msrc for Length
Lifespan
30 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
42.5 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
365 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
0.417src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Marinesrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the risso's dolphin?

RISSO'S DOLPHIN · LENGTH 3.05 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 3.05 m, the recorded maximum length of the risso's dolphin is about 1.8 times the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the risso's dolphin

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
James M. Maley · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Lucy Keith-Diagne · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Raffaele Maiorano · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
William Terry Hunefeld · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Jonathan Curley · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Cropped from photo by Mike Baird ( bairdphotos.com ) · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Laura (Laney) White (USGS Western Ecological Research Center) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the risso's dolphin live?

Not recorded

What is the risso's dolphin?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is the only species of the genus Grampus in the family Delphinidae (dolphins). Some of the most closely related species to these dolphins include pilot whales (Globicephala spp.), pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata), melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra), and false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). These dolphins grow to be about 10 ft in length and can be identified by heavy scarring that appears white. They are located worldwide in cold to temperate waters, but most typically are found along continental shelves due to their eating habits. Risso's dolphins have a diet that contains primarily cephalopods. They are able to search for prey at various depths due to their ability to reach depths of almost 600 m (2,000 ft). Individuals typically travel in pods ranging from 10 to 50 dolphins, with which they form tight social bonds.

Like most marine species, Risso's dolphins suffer from anthropogenic disruptions to the environment. Pollution, both from noise and plastics, is a common cause of higher mortality rates. Many can be, or have been, affected by entanglement in fishing nets and whaling. Risso's dolphins are currently protected in the United States, but they are still hunted in other parts of the world.

From the Wikipedia article “Risso's dolphin” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Risso%27s_dolphin&oldid=1381323941), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the risso's dolphin endangered?

The risso's dolphin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the risso's dolphin classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCetacea
  5. familyDelphinidae
  6. genusGrampus
  7. SpeciesGrampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812)

Synonyms Delphinus aires, Delphinus griseus, Delphinus griseus, Delphinus orca, Delphinus risso, Delphinus rissoanus, Delphinus rissoi, Globicephalus rissii, Globiocephalus chinensis, Gramphidelphis griseus, Grampidelphis exilis, Grampidelphis griseus, Grampidelphis kuzira, Grampus cuvieri, Grampus griseous, Grampus richardsoni, Grampus rissoanus, Grampus rissoanus, Grampus sakamata, Grampus sakata, Grampus soucerbianus, Grampus sowerbianus, Grampus stearnsii, Phocaena griseus, Phocaena rissonus

Other names and names in other languages (98)
  • GrampusEnglish
  • Gray grampusEnglish
  • Gray grampusEnglish
  • Grey dolphinEnglish
  • Grey dolphinEnglish
  • Risso s dolphinEnglish
  • Risso's grampusEnglish
  • Rissos dolphinEnglish
  • Risso’s dolphinEnglish
  • White-headed grampusEnglish
  • White-headed grampusEnglish
  • Risso-dolfynAfrikaans
  • Risso se DolfynAfrikaans
  • غرامبسArabic
  • دلفين رماديArabic
  • دلفين ريسوArabic
  • CalderonAsturian
  • Cap d'ollaCatalan
  • cap d'olla grisCatalan
  • plískavice šedáCzech
  • dolffin RissoWelsh
  • chyw dolffin RissoWelsh
  • Dolffiniaid RissoWelsh
  • halvrgindehvalerDanish
  • Risso-DelfinGerman
  • gestreifter DelfinGerman
  • gestreifter DelphinGerman
  • Rundkopf-DelfinGerman
  • RundkopfdelfinGerman
  • RundkopfdelphinGerman
  • ΣταχτοδέλφινοGreek
  • σταχτοδέλφινο (stachtodélfino)Greek
  • stachtodélfinoGreek
  • DelfínSpanish
  • calderón grisSpanish
  • Delfín chatoSpanish
  • delfín de RissoSpanish
  • delfín grisSpanish
  • fabo calderonSpanish
  • marzuplaBasque
  • Izurde muturmotzaBasque
  • isodelfiiniFinnish
  • HarmaadelfiiniFinnish
  • dauphin grisFrench
  • dauphin de CuvierFrench
  • dauphin de RissoFrench
  • marsouin grisFrench
  • Grize dolfynWestern Frisian
  • Arroaz botoGalician
  • גרמפוסHebrew
  • גרמפוס אפורHebrew
  • Glavati dupinCroatian
  • temu buraIndonesian
  • lumba-lumba abu-abuIndonesian
  • Lumba-lumba RissoIndonesian
  • GrámiIcelandic
  • RispuhöfrungurIcelandic
  • grampoItalian
  • delfino de RissoItalian
  • delfino di RissoItalian
  • grampo grigioItalian
  • ハナゴンドウJapanese
  • 花巨頭Japanese
  • hana gondo kujiraJapanese
  • kamabire sakamataJapanese
  • mazuba irukaJapanese
  • sakamata kujiraJapanese
  • shiro-shachiJapanese
  • 큰코돌고래Korean
  • keunmeori-dolgoraeKorean
  • pilkasis delfinasLithuanian
  • lambondriaka mavomavoMalagasy
  • lambondriaka volombatolalakaMalagasy
  • Delfin griúMaltese
  • arrdelfinNorwegian Bokmål
  • gramperDutch
  • dolfijn van RissoDutch
  • grijze dolfijnDutch
  • rissodelfinNorwegian Nynorsk
  • risso szaryPolish
  • Delfin RissoPolish
  • Delfin szaryPolish
  • MoleiroPortuguese
  • golfinho cinzentoPortuguese
  • golfinho de RissoPortuguese
  • seryy delfinRussian
  • серый дельфинRussian
  • okrogloglavi delfinSlovenian
  • rissos delfinSwedish
  • panavai meenTamil
  • โลมาริสโซThai
  • boz yunusTurkish
  • yuvarlak basli yunusTurkish
  • yuvarlak başlı yunusTurkish
  • Дельфін сірийUkrainian
  • Сірий дельфінUkrainian
  • 瑞氏海豚Chinese
  • 里氏海豚Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the risso's dolphin

Other species in the same family Delphinidae.

DD, Data Deficient
Orca (Orcinus orca)

Orca

Orcinus orca

Delphinidae

CompareRisso's dolphin vs OrcaRisso's dolphin vs Common bottlenose dolphinRisso's dolphin vs Common dolphinRisso's dolphin vs Irrawaddy dolphin

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

How heavy is a risso's dolphin?

An adult Risso's dolphin weighs 387.5 kg, with reported values from 342.5 kg to 460 kg.

What does a risso's dolphin eat?

Risso's dolphin is a carnivore.

Is Risso's dolphin endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses Risso's dolphin globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

How long does a risso's dolphin live?

Risso's dolphin has a lifespan of 30 years, with values reported up to 42.5 years.

What kind of animal is a risso's dolphin?

Risso's dolphin is a marine mammal in the whales and dolphins group, classified in the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Delphinidae.

How many young does a risso's dolphin have?

A risso's dolphin has 1 young per litter, after a gestation period of 365.1 days (1 year).

Who named Grampus griseus?

Grampus griseus was named by G. Cuvier in 1812, with the authority written as (G. Cuvier, 1812).

When does a risso's dolphin reach sexual maturity?

Risso's dolphin reaches sexual maturity at 10 years (3,652 days).

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/rissos-dolphin

MLA

“Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/rissos-dolphin.

BibTeX
@misc{rissos_dolphin_2026,
  title = {Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/rissos-dolphin},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}