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Striped Dolphins are aquatic mammals.
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Striped Dolphin Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Stenella
Species: Coeruleoalba
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Other Names: Blue-white Dolphin, Whitebelly,
Meyen's Dolphin, Streaker Porpoise, Euphrosyne
Dolphin, and Gray's Dolphin,
Size: Striped Dolphins are approximately
8-9 feet long and can weigh up to 330-350 lbs.
The male Striped Dolphin is slightly longer and
heavier than it's female counterpart.
Habitat: Striped Dolphins are abundantly
found and prefer highly productive tropical to
warm temperate waters that are oceanic and deep.
Diet: Striped Dolphins are predators and
eat cephalopods, crustaceans, and bony fishes.
The Striped Dolphin, can vary by region and be
influenced by available food sources.
Senses: Striped Dolphins have an acute
sense of hearing. They have acute vision both
in and out of the water. Their sense of touch
is well developed.
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Striped Dolphin
Status: Not Endangered
Classification: Least Concern
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Description: The Striped Dolphin has a slender
body with a long dark beak. They are boldly patterned
in bluish grey and white. Striped Dolphins have a lateral
stripe and spinal blaze, that are characteristic of the
species. These markings can vary significantly from dolphin
to dolphin.
Communication: Striped Dolphins communicate
using a series of sounds and whistles. |
Did You Know?
The Striped Dolphin was discovered by
Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen, a German
physician and botanist, in 1833.
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Hunting: Striped Dolphins will often hunt in with
their pod.
Gestation: Striped Dolphins carry their young
for 12-13 months. Striped Dolphins will give birth every
3-4 years.
Birth: Striped Dolphin calves are born tail
first. Calves are up to 3 feet in length, and weigh
22 lbs.
Calves: Striped Dolphin calves will nurse for
up to 12 months.
Sexual Maturity: Striped Dolphins become sexually
mature at about 7 ft in length. Females are typically
mature between the ages of 5-13 years, while males mature
at 7-15 years of age.
Life Span: Striped Dolphins can live up to 58 years.
Striped Dolphins, like many other dolphin species have
been known to become trapped in fishing nets. They have
been hunted by humans in Japan, the Caribbean and Sri
Lanka. They are also subject to pollution and environmental
toxins and contaminants have been known to lower their
disease immunity.
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Structure: Striped Dolphins are friendly and
they live in large pods. The size of the pod can
vary. Pods can be between a few Striped Dolphins
to over 1,000 with average school sizes ranging
from 25-100 dolphins. Rarely do Striped Dolphins
associate with another species of whales, or dolphins.
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Did You Know?
Attempts to keep the Striped Dolphins
in captivity, but their refusal to eat
while in captivity has caused all the
captured Striped Dolphins to die within
two weeks of being captured.
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Athleticism: Striped Dolphins are very agile
and athletic. They are are known to playfully jump more
than 20 feet out of the water. Striped Dolphins have
also been witnessed bow-riding, and roto-tailing, a
behavior where they make high arching jumps then rapidly
rotate the tail, before re-entering the water. They
can also dive to depths of 200 meters.
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