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Delphinus delphis

(Short-beaked Common Dolphin)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Aleut:

Angaigik, Ardlusarsuk, Oki

Common Names in Czech:

Delfín Obecný, Delfin Obecny’, Plískavice Obecná

Common Names in Danish:

Almindelig Delfin, Delfin

Common Names in Dutch:

Dolfijn, Gewone Dolfijn

Common Names in English:

Short-beaked Common Dolphin, Atlantic Dolphin, Black Sea Dolphin, Common Dolphin, Common Ocean Dolphin, Gemeiner Delphin, Long-Beaked Saddle-Backed Dolphin, Pacific Dolphin, Saddle-backed Dolphin, Saddleback Dolphin, Short-Beaked Saddle-Backed Dolphin, Short-beaked Saddleback Dolphin

Common Names in French:

Dauphin Commun, Bec D’oie, Camus, Dauphin à Bande Fauve, Dauphin Ordinaire, Dauphin Vulgaire

Common Names in German:

Delphin, Schnabelfisch

Common Names in Icelandic:

Hofrung, Huisen, Hundfiscar

Common Names in Italian:

Delfino, Delfino Comune, Tumberello

Common Names in Japanese:

Mairuka, Tobi-Iruka

Common Names in Miscellaneous Langua:

Tu-Kiak

Common Names in Norwegian:

Dolffin, Spinger, Spinghval, Springhval

Common Names in Polish:

Delfin Pospolity

Common Names in Portuguese:

Golfinho

Common Names in Russian:

Belobochka, Delfin-Belobochka, Delfiny-Belobochka, Obyknovennyi Delfin, Worwon

Common Names in Spanish:

Delf?n Com?n, Delf, Delfín Común

Common Names in Swedish:

Springare

Common Names in Tamil:

Pomigra

Description

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Family Delphinidae

The family Delphinidae has been called a 'taxonomic trash basket', because many small to medium-sized odontocetes of various forms have been lumped together in this group for centuries. Consequentely, the so-called delphinids are diverse in form. They range in size from 1 to 1.88 m dolphins of the genera Sotalia and Cephalorhynchus, to the killer whale , in which males can reach lengths of at least 9.8 m. However, most delphinids share the following characteristics: a marine habitat , a noticeable beak , conical teeth, and a large falcate dorsal fin set near the middle of the back. There are exceptions to everyone of these rules , except the presence of basically conical teeth.

Physical Description

Color:

V-shaped black/ dark gray saddle with downward oriented apex on sides directly below dorsal fin -- light gray of flanking sweeping over dorsal section of the tail of stock. Hourglass effect on side -- tan, yellow. Prominent dorsal fin. Nearly black from the flipper to the lower jaw and blackline from the eye forward to the junction of the forehead and the base of the beak . Black ring encircles the eye. Long neck defined. Black beak tipped with white. Predominantly dark flippers, flukes and fin .

Size/Age/Growth

Maximum size: 2.6 m , 75 kg or less (male) 2.3 m, 75 kg or less (female).

Habitat

Pelagic, offshore creature. Generally preferring surface temperatures greater than 10 degrees C.

Typically found in the intertidal zone at the water's edge at a mean distance from sea level of 29 meters (96 feet).[1]

Ecology: In the Mediterranean, Common Dolphins are found in both pelagic and neritic environments, occasionally sharing the former with Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and the latter with Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncates ) (Bearzi et al. 2003). Mixed-species groups of Common, Striped and Risso?s Dolphins (Grampus griseus) have been consistently observed in the pelagic waters of the Gulf of Corinth, Greece (Frantzis and Herzing 2002). Mediterranean Common Dolphins are typically found in groups of 50?70 animals, with larger aggregations occasionally recorded. In the eastern Ionian Sea coastal waters , however, groups rarely include more than 15 individuals, and groups greater than 40 have not been observed (Bearzi et al. 2003).[2].

List of Habitats :

Biology

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Diet

Fish, squid or octopus , anchovies , herring and pilchards. Small feeding groups will scatter in late afternoon to await ascension of the deep scattering layer. Frequently adopt cooperative techniques to capture prey ex : herds may dive below a school of fish and drive it to the surface.

Reproduction

Gestation period : 10-12 months. Calving peaks in spring and fall Calf nursed 14-19 months. Sexual maturity: 12-15 years, 1.7-2 m (male) 6- 7 years, 1.6-1.9 m (female).

Behavior

Various flips and somersaults. Highly vocal- whistles pulse sounds for communication and ecolocation. Strandings not particularly common. Large active schools - 1000-100,000 or greater Friendly, but not easily trained Sometimes split up into small groups at night. Reassemble to rest and socialize during the day. Active and boisterous. Whole school can be completely out of water. Bow riding favorite activity - ride off ships and pressure waves created by whales - may stay with vessel long time. Appears to be some sexual segregation- some evidence of nursery schools consisting of large portions of pregnant and nursing females. Dive to depths of at least 280m as long as 8 minutes.

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Delphinus delphis delphis Linnaeus

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 05-Dec-2008

Until 1994, all common dolphins around the world were classified as a single species: D. delphis. However, it is now known that at least two species exist within the genus: the Short-beaked (D. delphis) and Long-beaked (D. capensis) Common Dolphins (Heyning and Perrin 1994). There is also a distinct short-beaked form in the Black Sea , the taxonomic status of which has not been adequately clarified (however, it is currently thought to be a subspecies : D. delphis ponticus Amaha, 1994).[3].

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Delphinus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 23 species and subspecies in this genus:

D. albirostris (Allen's Squirrel Galago) · D. capensis (Long-Beaked Common Dolphin) · D. chinensis (Chinese White Dolphin) · D. clymene (Short-Snouted Spinner Dolphin) · D. cruciger (White-Sided Dolphin) · D. delphis (Short-Beaked Common Dolphin) · D. delphis delphis (Short-Beaked Saddle-Backed Dolphin) · (Short-Beaked Common Dolphin) · D. densirostris (Blainville's Beaked Whale) · D. eutropia (Banded Anteater) · D. fluviatilis (Guianian River Dolphin) · D. frontalis (Atlantic Spotted Dolphin) · D. gangetica (South Asian River Dolphin) · D. griseus (White-Headed Grampus) · D. leucas (Long-Footed Potoroo) · D. longirostris (Pantropical Spinner Dolphin) · D. melas (North Atlantic Longfinned Pilot Whale) · D. metis (Short-Snouted Spinner Dolphin) · D. obscurus (Dusky Dolphin) · D. orca (Atlantic Killer Whale) · D. phocoena (Pacific Harbor Porpose) · D. tropicalis (Arabian Common Dolphin) · D. truncatus (Atlantic Bottle-Nosed Dolphin)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 17, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Standard Deviation = 45.970 based on 123,630 observations. Terrestrial altitude and ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  2. Bearzi, G. 2003. Delphinus delphis (Mediterranean subpopulation). In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]
  3. Hammond, P.S., Bearzi, G., Bjørge, A., Forney, K., Karczmarski, L., Kasuya, T., Perrin, W.F., Scott, M.D., Wang, J.Y., Wells, R.S. & Wilson, B. 2008. Delphinus delphis. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 31 January 2012. [back]
Last Revised: 7/14/2012