by: Nicole Le Boeuf
The two words that make up the animal's name both mean dolphin; the first in Latin and the second is Greek.
This dolphin species varies from moderately robust to slender depending on range. Although many of their markings are specific to the geographic regions they live in, their most distinguishing characteristic is a large hourglass coloration pattern on their side. This marking has two areas of color varying from white, gray to yellowish tan on the anterior end. Other markings can include a dark chin stripe that runs from the black lips of the lower jaw to the flippers. The dorsal fin is generally tall, found midway down the back, and is slightly falcate in shape. The flippers, dorsal fin, and flukes are dark gray to black in color.
Male common dolphins are slightly larger than females at adulthood being about 2.6 m in length, while females reach only about 2.3 m. When they are born, calves are between 80-85 cm long. Although there is much geographic variation, maximum weights of mature animals can reach 135 kg.
This is a deep-water, pelagic species that can be found in tropical to warm temperate waters around the world. In different regions, there seem to be localized stocks including in the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic coast of Africa, and in the Indian Ocean. Common dolphins can be found of all African coastlines.
Common dolphins are quite gregarious, and are often seen in large groups of up to ten thousand individuals. They are fond of bowriding on fast-moving vessels for sometimes long periods. They will even occasionally associate with other types of marine mammals such as larger whale species. This species is acrobatic at the water's surface often creating quite a disturbance with their splashing and vocalizing. In some regions of the world, common dolphins are closely associated with feeding at night in the deep scattering layer which comes closer to the surface at this time.
These dolphins have suffered in direct and incidental capture throughout the world. In the Black Sea, Russian and Turkish direct takes have caused significant population declines, but has tapered off in recent years. This species is also often taken in the tuna fishery of the Eastern Tropical Pacific, but are more difficult to capture than other species there. They are sometimes shot at for sport in the Mediterranean Sea, and are known to be captured in West Africa.
Insufficiently known.
Perrin, W.F. and A.A. Hohn. 1994. Pantropical spotted dolphin Stenella attenuata. In: Handbook of Marine Mammals, vol. 5: the first book of dolphins (S.H. Ridgway and R. Harrison, eds). Academic Press, London. Pp. 71-98.
Jefferson, T.A., Curry, B.E., Leatherwood, S. and J.A. Powell. 1997. Dolphins and porpoises of West Africa: A review of records (Cetacea: Delphinidae, Phocoenidae). Mammalia, v61 i1 pp 87-108 (22).
Jefferson, T.A. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. 1994. FAO Species Identification Guide, Marine Mammals of the World. FAO of the United Nations, Rome.
Leatherwood, S. and R.R. Reeves. 1987. The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. Sierra Club Books, San Fransisco.
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