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Pantropical Spotted Dolphins

Pantropical Spotted Dolphins are aquatic mammals.

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Classification:

Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Stenella
Species: Attenuata

Other Names: Spotted Dolphin, White-Spotted Dolphin, Bridled Dolphin, Spotter, Spotted Porpoise, Slender-Beaked Dolphin, Narrow-Snouted Dolphin, Gulf Stream Dolphins, Gulf Stream Spotted Dolphins, and The Spotter,

Size: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins are one of the smaller species of dolphins. Pantropical Spotted dolphins are 5.75 to 8 feet in length and they weigh 200-255 lbs. Male Pantropical Spotted Dolphins are slightly larger than females in the species.

Habitat: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins can be found in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. Pantropical Spotted Dolphins mainly live in tropical or warm waters, and they are found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They are often observed around islands in the eastern tropical Pacific, the western North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and around Hawaii.

Diet: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins primarily feed on Fish, squid, octopus, occasionally krill or other crustaceans.

Gestation: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins typically carry their young for 11-12 months. The calves will nurse for up to two years, or as little as one year

Calves: Pantropical Spotted Dolphin calves are born without the trademark spots, the spots emerge as they age.

Sexual Maturity: Pantropical Spotted Dolphin females reach sexual maturity at 9 years of age while males mature at 12 years of age. They will females will mate every 26 months for reproductive purposes, after they mature sexually.

Senses: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins have the sense of sight, both in and out of the water. They have acute hearing, the sense of taste, and touch. Their sense of smell is limited.

Hunting: Like other toothed whales, Pantropical Spotted Dolphins use echolocation, as a way of locating prey. They emit high-pitched clicks and sense them as they bounce back off objects in their surroundings. Pantropical Spotted Dolphins mostly hunt for food at night. Pantropical Spotted Dolphins spend most of their day in shallow waters, typically between 300 to 1,000 feet deep. At night they move into deeper waters to hunt for prey.

Life Span: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins can live in excess of 40 years.

Social Structure: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins travel in pods of less than one hundred dolphins, but they have also been seen in superpods of over a thousand dolphins.

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin

Conservation Status: Not Endangered

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Photo

Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Picture

Spotted Dolphin Photo

Spotted Dolphin Picture

Description: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins have a long beak and a spotted mottled body. The distinctive spotting makes them easy to identify. The tip of the beak is white, and they have a cape of darker coloring on their backside.

Communication: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins produce clicks and squeaks. Their complex communication is heard underwater.

Did You Know?

Pantropical Spotted Dolphins are often observed with schools of tuna.

Athleticism: Pantropical Spotted Dolphins are fast swimmers, that do aerial acrobatics and will frequently ride the bow waves of boats.

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