Delphinus delphis
Common Dolphin [+]

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Delphinus
species: delphis
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Description & Behavior

Video: Common dolphin, Delphinus delphis in the Red Sea and Galápagos (3:59 | 14.4MB)

The common dolphin is actually comprised of three species: 1) the short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus, 1758), aka common dolphin, saddle-backed dolphin, short-beaked saddle-backed dolphin, short-beaked saddleback dolphin, saddleback porpoise, criss-cross dolphin, white-bellied dolphin, hourglass dolphin and saddleback, 2) the long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis (Gray, 1828), aka long-beaked saddle-backed dolphin and long-beaked saddleback dolphin, and 3) the Arabian common dolphin, Delphinus tropicalis (van Bree, 1971), aka Arabian saddle-backed dolphin, Arabian saddleback dolphin, Malabar common dolphin, and Malabar saddleback dolphin. Common dolphins are typically 1.7-2.6 m in length and weigh between 70-135 kg. They are fusiform (shaped like a fish) and slender. Their dorsal side is black to brownish black, with varying coloration and markings. The ventral side is offwhite or white. The flanks are distinctly marked with hourglass or criss-cross patterns that tan or yellowish tan in color. Their short beak is well-defined and often features a white tip. One or more dark stripes are found from the center of the lower jaw to the flippers. Their dorsal fin is triangular to distinctly falcate in shape with a pointed tip and usually black with a lighter gray region of varying size near the middle.

These animals are very social and often travel in enormous pods of more than a thousand. They're known for their high leaps out of the water, sometimes simultaneously in groups, and they enjoy riding the bow waves of boats for long periods of time. They are a very energetic and highly vocal species that produce a variety of whistles, pulses, and clicks that are easily heard by divers.

World Range & Habitat

Common dolphins, Delphinus delphus, are found in the Atlantic from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia to northern South America and in the Pacific from Victoria, British Columbia, down to the Equator. They frequent offshore waters around the outer continental shelf, often near ridges. They're rarely sighted near shore.

» GBIF occurrence data in Google Earth [Tips] | Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) (World Distribution) [about]

Feeding Behavior (Ecology)

Using echolocation and group hunting techniques, the common dolphin primarily feeds on schooling fishes and squid.

Life History

The common dolphin, Delphinus sp., reproduces sexually and usually produces one young.

Conservation Status/Additional Comments

This species is the target of fisheries in Japan, South America, and the Azores. Accidental catches in fishing gear occur in the eastern tropical Pacific, the Mediterranean, Europe, China, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Africa, and New Zealand. Common dolphins are the third most frequently caught dolphin in this manner. Despite their active and social behavior in the wild, common dolphins are shy, easily agitated, and prone to illness when kept in captivity.