Common Dolphin

Common Dolphin Facts (Delphinus delphis)

The common dolphin is one of the most beautiful thanks to the many colors that they feature. They often feature a darker color of blue, black, or gray on the back than on the front. They also have cream coloring that can be various shades all the way to ivory white. There is a stripe of yellow too that can be at the top of the white or cream color. It runs approximately to the mid point of the body.

Some types of common dolphins have long beaks while others have short ones. Many people don’t realize that this difference though is from the same species of dolphin. They assume they are looking at two different ones. All of them feature one short dorsal fin.

The common dolphin is small in size compared to many others. Fully grown they average about 8 ½ feet long. They also don’t weight more than 300 pounds.
 
Distribution

You will find the common dolphin residing in the warmer waters. One of the most common locations for them is along the coastal region of California. Both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are home to the common dolphin. They aren’t often seen in the shores as they prefer the deeper waters. It is believed that there are more than 200,000 of them remaining.

Behavior

Common dolphins are very social creatures. They tend to live in extremely large groups. They have a great time playing and interacting with each other. They can often be seen showing affection and splashing around in the water. It is believed that the common dolphin is the fastest of all species. They even seem to engage in races in the water as a source of fun.

Diet /Feeding

Squid make up most of the diet for the common dolphin. They also consume a variety of different types of fish out there. Most of the time they will feed only at night and they often do so in groups. This allows them to be able to herd the fish they are going to dine on into a circle.

Reproduction

These dolphins are mature about four years of age. However, they may be ready at an earlier time. Generally, they are ready to mate when they become about 7 feet long. It takes about 11 months from conception for the mother to give birth to her pup in the water. The mother will care for her young for either 2 or 3 years and then she will be ready to mate again.

There have been observations in captivity of a common dolphin female mating with a male bottleneck dolphin. These hybrid offspring have done very well, with one of them still in captivity at a Sea World location for further observation.

Conservation

Human activities have posed a great threat to the common dolphins. Pollution in the waters where they live has resulted in large numbers of them dying. There are also areas including Peru where they are hunted in large numbers. It is illegal in the United States to harm or to kill a common dolphin on purpose.

Human interaction

Many common dolphins are seriously injured or killed due to the fishing nets in various areas. This is especially true in the areas of the Pacific Ocean where commercial fishing for tuna is a huge industry. It is extremely difficult to keep this species of dolphin alive in captivity. Less than 90 of them are in captivity around the world. The majority of them have serious injuries that would result in their death should they be returned to the wild.