[3] The specific epithet peronii commemorates François Péron, a French naturalist who saw the species near Tasmania during an expedition in 1802.

[9][5][6] The flippers of the southern right whale dolphins are small, recurved, predominantly white and located about one-quarter of the way back from the snout tip.

Their flukes are small, have a white underside and dark grey upper side, with a notch in the middle and concave trailing edges.

[17][5][11] The species is known to be abundant along the western coasts of South America, ranging from Cape Horn (55°58’S) to Arica (18°28’S), with the northernmost record at 12°30’S near Pucusana (Peru).

Although the southern right whale dolphin is considered abundant, only few confirmed records of the species in the Eastern South Pacific exist.

[16][18] Preliminary boat surveys and stranding and fishery records suggest that southern right whale dolphins may be one of the most common species of cetacean in northern Chile.

The range extends until 170 km (110 mi) offshore north of 40°S and 250 km (160 mi) off the southern coast of Chile and it has been suggested that at least a part of this Chilean population migrates northbound in the austral winter and spring, when the coastal component of the cold Humboldt Current and cool coastal upwelling are strongest.

It was unclear through which route and why they entered the Magellan Strait but these were the first sightings of live southern right whales dolphins in this shallow area.

[16] In the past, a high number of stranded southern right whale dolphins were reported on beaches of north-central chile, most of which were discarded animals by-caught In fishing nets.

[16] The waters of the Patagonian continental shelf of Argentina harbor a high diversity of cetaceans, including southern right whale dolphins.

They are known to occur in cold waters off Santa Cruz Province, the Falkland Islands,[23] as well as off Tierra del Fuego.

[21] Sightings in coastal areas are rare but exist in Mar del Plata[24] and in Golfo Nuevo, where three southern right whale dolphins were observed once during the summer of 1992.

[10] In December 2019, a dolphin washed up on a beach at Port Fairy, Victoria, with the deceased animal being assessed by state authorities, researchers and local Australian aboriginal elders.

[29] One of the earliest records of this species in New Zealand waters was during the Terra Nova Expedition, when a pair was sighted approximately 145 km west-south-west of Nugget Point Lighthouse, South Island at 47°04'S, 171°33'E.

[28] Southern right whale dolphins have been observed at sea to the southeast of New Zealand [30][31] and are largely found between the Subtropical Convergence and the subantarctic waters to the south of it, between surface temperatures of 9°-17 °C.

[33] More recently a stranding of a single animal occurred at Mahia Beach, North Island in April 2020 which was euthanised by the Department of Conservation.

[15] In 1967, research showed that the species could also be found off-shore from the Chatham, Bounty and Antipodes Islands (approximately 43-57°S, 168-158°E) between January and March.

[7] Based on stomach contents, epipelagic coastal food habits, mesopelagic or a combination of both were suggested for southern right whale dolphins.

[42][10][43] Geographical variability in prey species has been observed by comparing stomach contents of animals from central Chile and New Zealand.

[25] The direct and indirect impacts of global climate change on the southern right whale dolphin are largely unknown, but could have a cascading effect on the movement and feeding ecology.

As of 2018, the Global IUCN Red List classifies the southern right whale dolphin as Least Concern (LC), due to their apparent wide distribution in pelagic waters of the sub-Antarctic and the lack of evidence of severe threats to the populations.