Due to its relative abundance in European waters, it was among the first of the genus Lagenorhynchus (lagenos, Latin for "bottle" or "flask"; rhynchos, "beak" or "snout") to be known to science.

Although the young are born with two to four whiskers on each side of the upper lip, these disappear as they grow, and, as in other odontocetes, the adults are entirely hairless.

[7] The white-beaked dolphin is endemic to the cold temperate and subarctic waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, most commonly in seas less than 1,000 m (3,300 ft) deep.

[9] Due to the fact they are not fully adapted to Arctic conditions, they are more vulnerable to predators, most notably polar bears.

[6] In the Faroe Islands between Iceland and the United Kingdom the White-beaked dolphin is at risk of being hunted during drive catches of the long-finned pilot whales.

[16] White-beaked dolphins are acrobatic; they will frequently ride on the bow wave of high-speed boats and jump clear of the sea's surface.

[6] They are social feeders and have frequently been observed feeding with killer, fin, and humpback whales, as well as other dolphin species.