Common Dolphin

Scientific name: Delphinus delphis

The common dolphin is a very beautiful dolphin which is often seen alongside boats.

The name delphis comes from the Greek words "delphys" meaning dolphin and "delphis" meaning womb.

    Fascinating Facts: Dolphins and Greek legends

An ancient legend from the Mediterranean tells of how Apollo the Sun God had a great battle with a huge dolphin called Delphyne.  He defeated it and a temple was built for him at Delphi (dolphin town).  Apollo then became a dolphin-god with the name "Delphinius" and took command of the whole universe.  There are many such tales linking dolphins with the origin of the universe.

    Where they live, what they eat and more:

Common dolphins are found all around the world in temperate and tropical waters and are very inquisitive. They like to bow ride alongside boats and leap out of the water in fun.  They travel around in large groups, sometimes as many as 500 and up to 2,000 dolphins have been seen together off South America.  They also make lots of noise so they are easily noticed.  They use the sounds they produce to communicate with each other and also to find their prey by echolocation.  They feed mostly on small fish such as anchovies, herring and sardines but also eat squid.  Because they follow the schools of fish they are very often caught up in fishing nets.  Needing to get to the surface to breathe air the dolphins die in the nets.  Tuna fishing catches and kills many dolphins this way.

Physical features and Reproduction

Common dolphins are less than a metre long when they are born but soon grow to be up to 2.4 metres in length.  They can weigh up to 110kg.  The calves are born in the spring and are suckled for about 6 months.  They are very beautifully coloured with a large yellow patch along their sides and also a couple of fine yellow lines running across their white undersides.  Their backs are black and their dorsal fin is tall and pointed.