Common dolphins are sleek cetaceans reaching up to 2.4 m, recognisable by their distinctive hourglass-shaped flank pattern — dark grey above with a white or pale belly and a darker stripe along the side. They inhabit coastal and offshore waters across temperate and tropical seas, often seen in pods of a dozen or more hunting small fish and squid. Highly social and vocal, they are among the most acrobatic dolphins, frequently leaping clear of the water.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Cetartiodactyla
- Family
- Delphinidae
- Genus
- Delphinus
Most likely to be seen at
Sites where its range and habitat make it likely — not yet confirmed by a logged sighting.