California mammals

Pacific White-sided Dolphin in California

Sagmatias obliquidens

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

Not listed as nonindigenous in California by USGS NAS; native to its California range.

IUCN Red List status

NE – Not Evaluated

Not yet assessed against IUCN Red List criteria.

Pacific White-sided Dolphin in California, by the numbers

Rare in California 170th most recorded of 233 mammals logged in California

24 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

24 total records count every California occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 23 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Pacific White-sided Dolphin in California

Most sightings fall in February to March.

23 California occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February4
March3
April2
May3
June2
July0
August2
September1
October1
November2
December1

Monthly pacific white-sided dolphin occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in February–March, with a smaller rise in May.

Occurrence map

Where Pacific White-sided Dolphin has been recorded in California

24 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

24 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Point Reyes National Seashore 1
Pescadero State Beach 1

Protected places with the most pacific white-sided dolphin sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in California

CountyRecords
San Diego County 3
San Mateo County 3
Los Angeles County 2
Marin County 2
Mendocino County 2
Orange County 1
Contra Costa County 1
Santa Barbara County 1
San Luis Obispo County 1
Other localities 8

The complete county distribution, spread across 9 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Pacific white-sided dolphin records lie offshore in California’s cool, productive Pacific water rather than around inland landmarks. Boat routes and coastal watch points shape what gets reported, while animals traveling far from shore can pass beyond ordinary observation.

May holds the largest monthly total, although January, February, April, and November are also well represented. The relatively even spread lacks one dominant season and includes reports in every month. That shows year-round documentation, not continuous use by the same dolphins or equal numbers along the coast.

Occurrence data from GBIF.

More mammals in California in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"