Pantropical Spotted Dolphin |Sanctuaire pour les mammifères marins Agoa

(Stenella attenuata)

Identity card

Taxonomy

Order: Odontocetes
Family: Delphinidae
Species: Stenella attenuata

Measurements

1.6 to 2.6 m, weighing 90 to 119 kg

Lifespan

Around 40 years

IUCN status

Least Concern

To find their way around and communicate, dolphins like the Pantropical Spotted Dolphin use echolocation clicks that you can listen to below:

https://soundcloud.com/ofbiodiversite/les-clics-du-dauphin-tachete-pantropical-stenella-attenuata

Habitat

The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin is found in all tropical and subtropical seas, between 30-40°N and 20-40°S. It lives both along the coast and offshore. It is one of the most common species found in the waters of the Agoa Sanctuary.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity is reached between 9 and 12 years of age. Gestation lasts about 10 to 12 months, and birth systematically takes place in May or September.

Diet

It feeds mainly on fish swimming near the surface (mackerel, flying fish, etc.), but also on crustaceans and cephalopods in coastal areas.

Morphological characteristics for identification at sea

Head: lips and tip of beak usually bright white, dark stripes in front of the eyes and pectoral fins
Fins: slender, small sickle-shaped dorsal fin
Behavioural: breaching, groups of many individuals (10 to several hundreds)
Colouring: light-coloured coat with a cape running down to the flanks, the adult skin is spotted, and the rostrum tip of older individuals may be white

Click on the link to see the Pantropical Spotted Dolphin in 3D:

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin in 3D

Did you know?

The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin often lives together with the Yellowfin Tuna. Unfortunately, this means that it is often caught in tuna fishing boat nets.

Banner photo credit: Laurent Bouveret / OMMAG