
Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis
Length
7.5-8.5 feet (2.3-2.6 m)
Weight
Up to 350 pounds (135 kg)
Males are larger than females
Males are larger than females
Distribution
Found worldwide in tropical and warm-temperate waters
Population
More than 3,000,000 individuals
Description
Common Dolphins are colorful and have complex criss-cross patterns across their sides. They feed primarily on small schooling fish and squid, hunting cooperatively within groups while utilizing echolocation. They are fast swimmers, reaching burst-speeds of 35-40 miles per hour.
Common dolphins are very social. They can be found in pods consisting of several hundred individuals and occasionally in megapods of more than 1,000 individuals in one square area!
Although they are not endangered, Common Dolphins are extremely vulnerable to pollution and are accidentally caught in fishing gear (gill-nets and shrimp trawls).