Dolphin Species: Discover Their Diverse Characteristics, Behavior

(Photo : Oleksandr Sushko / Unsplash)
Here are quick dolphin facts covering the 37 species all over the world.

Dolphins have diverse habitats, appearances, and behaviors. They can be grey, black and white patterns, or even pink. Dolphins are gregarious and form superpods. Their diverse shapes, sizes, unique features, and distinct characteristics make each species unique in their own way.

Commerson's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus commersonii

Commerson's dolphins, also known as "panda dolphins," are strikingly black and white, small cetaceans found in southern waters. They are social, often ride bow waves, swim upside down, and hunt fish.

Chilean Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus eutropia

Chilean dolphins are curious small, black marine mammals found in Chile's waters. With social behavior, they live in acrobatic groups, and feed on fish, squid, and crustaceans.

Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus heavisidii

Heaviside's dolphins are small, coastal cetaceans with striking black, grey and white markings, found off South Africa. They display playful behavior and acrobatics, and live in social groups.

Hector's Dolphin, Cephalorhyncus hectori

Hector's dolphins are the smallest and rarest marine dolphins in the world. They have distinct black facial markings, short stocky bodies, and a dorsal fin shaped like a Mickey Mouse ear.

Long-beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus capensis

Long-beaked common dolphins are medium-sized cetaceans with distinctive hourglass patterns. They are highly social, agile swimmers, often seen leaping and bow riding, and they feed on schooling fish.

Short-beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis

Short-beaked common dolphins are medium-sized cetaceans with yellow-tan hourglass patterns. Highly social, fast swimmers, often seen leaping and bow riding, and they feed on fish and squid.

Arabian Common Dolphin, Delphinus tropicalis

Arabian and Indo-Pacific common dolphins have elongated, slender beaks and inhabit the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Energetic, social, and acrobatic swimmers; often seen bow-riding boats.

Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata

Pygmy killer whales are small, dark cetaceans, each with a distinct eye patch. Social and elusive, they travel in tight-knit groups, preying on fish, squid, and small mammals.

Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhyncus

Short-finned pilot whales are large, robust black cetaceans with bulbous foreheads. They live in tight-knit matrilineal groups, hunt squid and fish, and display strong social bonds.

Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas

Long-finned pilot whales are large, robust black cetaceans with elongated pectoral fins. They live in tight social groups, primarily feed on squid, and exhibit deep-diving behaviors.

Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus

Risso's dolphins are medium-sized, gray cetaceans with bulbous foreheads and scarred bodies. They form social groups, feed on squid, and display playful and acrobatic behaviors.

Fraser's Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei

Fraser's dolphins are small, sleek cetaceans with distinctive tri-colored patterns. Energetic and social, they often leap, bow ride, and feed on fish and squid in deep offshore waters.

Atlantic White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus

Atlantic white-sided dolphins are medium-sized, colorful cetaceans with a white belly. They are highly social, acrobatic swimmers, often seen bow-riding and feeding on fish and squid.

White-beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris

White-beaked dolphins are medium-sized, robust cetaceans with a white beak and saddle patch. Social and playful, they forage in groups, feed on fish and squid, and breach frequently.

Peale's Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis

Small, hardy cetaceans known as Peale's dolphins have distinctive gray and white coloring. In coastal waters, they form close-knit groups, do acrobatics, and eat fish and squid.

Hourglass Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger

Hourglass dolphins are small, strikingly marked cetaceans with a distinct hourglass pattern. They are elusive, fast swimmers, and often seen in groups leaping and bow-riding.

Pacific White-sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens

Pacific white-sided dolphins are medium-sized, colorful cetaceans with a dark dorsal cape and white sides. Energetic, acrobatic, and social, they frequently bow-ride and forage in groups.

Dusky Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus

Dusky dolphins are social, medium-sized, sleek cetaceans with a distinctive black-and-white pattern. They are highly acrobatic so they are often bow-riding, in coastal waters, chasing and feeding on fish and squid.

Northern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis

Northern right whale dolphins are small, robust cetaceans with a unique black-and-white pattern. Agile swimmers, are social, and often seen bow-riding; they primarily feed on squid and fish.

Southern Right Whale Dolphin, Lissodelphis peronii

Southern right whale dolphins are small, robust cetaceans with a unique black-and-white pattern. Social, agile swimmers, are often seen bow-riding and feed on squid and fish.

Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris

Irrawaddy dolphins are medium-sized, gray cetaceans with rounded foreheads. They are shy, live in freshwater and coastal regions, and use sonar to find prey like fish and crustaceans.

Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni

Snub-fin dolphins from Australia are little, stocky cetaceans with rounded foreheads. They are playful animals that feed on crabs, fish, and cephalopods and inhabit shallow coastal waters.

Orca(Killer Whale), Orcinus orca

Orcas, or killer whales, are large, black and white apex predators. Highly intelligent, social, and formidable hunters, they feed on fish, seals, and other marine mammals in complex family structures.

Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephala electra

Melon-headed whales are medium-sized, dark cetaceans with rounded heads. Social and fast swimmers, often travel in large groups, feed on squid and fish, and display aerial behavior.

False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens

False killer whales are large, robust cetaceans with dark bodies. Social and often seen in groups, they feed on fish, squid, and other marine mammals, displaying playful and acrobatic behavior.

Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis

Tucuxis are small, gray river dolphins with rounded foreheads. They are social, often seen in small groups, and feed on fish and crustaceans in freshwater habitats.

Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Sousa chinensis

Medium-sized, pinkish to gray cetaceans sporting a humpbacked dorsal fin, humpback dolphins are found throughout the Indo-Pacific. They frequent small groups and are gregarious creatures that eat fish and crabs in coastal waters.

Indian Humpback Dolphin, Sousa plumbea

Indian humpback dolphins are gray, medium-sized coastal cetaceans. each with a humpback dorsal fin. They are social and consume fish, squid, and crabs.

Atlantic Humpback Dolphin, Sousa teuszii

The Atlantic humpback dolphins are found along the Atlantic African coast. With a robust body with a mid-back hump, a long slender beak, and grey coloration, they are cooperative foragers. Prefers distance from boat engines, rolls while surfacing, and displays occasional acrobatics.

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Stenella attenuata

Pantropical spotted dolphins are medium-sized, light-gray cetaceans with numerous spots. Social and playful, they ride waves, leap, and feed on fish and squid in tropical and subtropical waters.

Clymene Dolphin, Stenella clymene

Clymene dolphins are small, slender cetaceans with a unique hourglass pattern. Social and energetic, they display acrobatics, ride waves, and feed on fish and squid in warm oceanic waters.

Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba

Striped dolphins are medium-sized, sleek cetaceans with distinctive blue and white stripes. Social, agile swimmers, and acrobatic, they feed on fish and squid in offshore waters.

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Stenella frontalis

Atlantic spotted dolphins are medium-sized, light-gray cetaceans with numerous spots. Highly social, acrobatic swimmers, they display playful behavior, ride waves, and feed on fish and squid in warm waters.

Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris

Spinner dolphins are small and slender with a long beak and a unique habit of spinning while leaping. Social, and acrobatic, they feed on fish and squid in tropical waters.

Rough-toothed Dolphin, Steno bredanensis

Rough-toothed dolphins are medium-sized, gray cetaceans with a distinct rough tooth pattern on their teeth. Social, elusive, and deep divers, they feed on fish, squid, and crustaceans.0

Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops aduncus

Bottlenose dolphins are gray, medium-sized cetaceans that each have a small mouth. Found in the Indian Ocean, they are sociable, quick, and intelligent creatures.

Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus

The common bottlenose dolphin is an intelligent gray cetacean with a tiny beak. They are social and actively frequent coastal and offshore waters for fish and squid.