Mammals
Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis · also called common dolphins, short-beaked common dolphin
Leaping in unison alongside thousands of others, a group of common dolphins races through open ocean water, their distinctive hourglass side pattern flashing as the enormous pod moves together in one of the largest social gatherings any dolphin species is known to form.
Overview
The common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, is a highly social, widely distributed marine mammal native to open ocean waters across a broad range spanning temperate and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Its extraordinarily large group sizes, distinctive hourglass colour pattern, and cooperative hunting behaviour make it one of the more socially remarkable and visually striking dolphin species found anywhere in the world’s oceans.
Safety, and hunting success, in numbers
Few dolphin species gather in groups as large as the common dolphin, whose thousands-strong pods reflect both a powerful defence against predators and a highly effective strategy for cooperatively herding fish during a hunt.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and abundant across suitable open ocean habitat throughout temperate and tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Common Dolphin: common questions
How large can a group of common dolphins be?
This species can travel in extremely large groups, sometimes numbering into the thousands of individuals, among the largest group sizes documented in any dolphin species, a level of social gathering that makes encounters with this species particularly dramatic for observers.
How can you identify a common dolphin?
Look for a distinctive hourglass-shaped pattern of yellow, tan, and grey colouration along its sides, a striking marking that helps distinguish this species from many other dolphins sharing similar open ocean habitat.
Do common dolphins hunt together as a group?
Yes, this species often hunts cooperatively, with groups working together to herd schools of fish into tight, densely packed balls that make feeding considerably more efficient for the whole group compared with hunting individually.
How widespread is the common dolphin?
This species is found across an extremely broad range of temperate and tropical ocean waters spanning the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, making it one of the most widely distributed dolphin species found anywhere in the world.