Read about 24 out of the about 30 dolphin species!
Bottlenose dolphin
© Alltomdelfiner.se
Bottlenose dolphin is a pretty big dolphin, normally it measures 2,5-3 meters and weighs 150-250 kilograms. It lives in groups, females with females and males with males. In the female groups all individuals are normally relatives. The daughters stay with their mother through their whole life, but sometimes the daughters leave their mothers and search for a new group. The males leave their mother when they are about 8 years old and live with other males in the same age. At first the males live in big groups but when they get older the groups get smaller. Bottlenose dolphins are the most common dolphin specie in dolphinariums.
Pacific white-sided dolphin
The pacific white-sided dolphin is very social, it normally lives in groups of 50 individuals, but sometimes they are up to 2000 individuals. In the group there are both females and males in all ages. Sometimes pacific white-sided dolphins swims with other dolphin species for example northern right whale dolphins, common dolphins, Dall's porpoises and short-finned pilot whales. Pacific white-sided dolphins weigh normally 82-124 kilograms and measures 1,7-2,4 meters. Females reach maturity at 5-6 years and the males when they are 8-10 years. The pacific white-sided dolphin gives birth to one calf that nurses for about 1 year. Pacific white-sided dolphins eat fish and octopus and they can live for up to 40 years.
Orca
© Johanna Eriksson
The orca is the biggest dolphin species and it can weigh up to 4 tons and measure up to 10 meters. The male's dorsal fin can measure 2 meters. The female orcas can live for 90 years and the males can live for 50 years. It is the fastest marine mammal and it is also called "killer whale". In the wild some orcas eat seals, dolphins and whales, but captive orcas eat only fish. Even if the orca eats big animals like dolphins and whales it has never happend that an orca has killed a human. Orcas are found in oceans all over the world, but first and foremost in the Arctic and Antarctic. Orcas have big teeth, but they always swallow their food whole.
Spotted dolphin
At birth the spotted dolphin has no spots, but when it get older and older it gets more spots. An adult spotted dolphin measures about 2,5 meters. It lives in groups with up to 1000 dolphins. The spotted dolphin lives in all tropical oceans, in shallow and deep water. It eats for example octopus. Spotted dolphins weigh about 110 kilograms.
Long-finned pilot whale
Long-finned pilot whales can dive to at least 500 meters deep and possible deeper. Pilot whales often strand and it can depend on that there are so many pilot whales in the wild. The males measure 6,2 meters and weigh 3500 kilograms. The females measure 5,1 meters and weigh 1800 kilograms. Pilot whales are very intelligent and helpful. They have saved many people from sinking ships. The long-finned pilot whale lives in North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and South Pacific Ocean. The scientific name for long-finned pilot whale is Globicephala melas. The pilot whale eats fish and octopus. At birth the long-finned pilot whale measures 1,4-2 meters and it nurses for about 18th months. The pilot whale has 7-12 teeth at each side in upper and lower jaw.
Ganges river dolphin
Three of the world's five fresh water dolphins live in Asia, one of them is the ganges river dolphin. The ganges river dolphinis nearly blind. It has a long, narrow nose. It has lived in Ganges muddy water for millions of years, but Ganges' water quality has worsended because of the factories and industries along the river that daily let out pollution in the water. The pollution threatens the ganges river dolphin but also the fish that the dolphin eats. Even if the ganges dolphin is protected according to the law, the dolphins still are captured for the meat. The ganges river dolphin often swims with its head over the water which makes it easy to capture. Ganges dolphins have the smallest eyes in the whale world, they are as small as peas. The ganges dolphin measures 2,1-2,6 meters and weighs 80-90 kilograms. The ganges river dolphin is also called susu.
False killer whale
The false killer whale is smaller than its relative the killer whale (orca). It is completely black with a grey colour between the flippers. The teeth are impressive but the false killer whale eats mostly octopus. Normally the false killer whale lives in deep water, but sometimes groups of false killer whales strand. False killer whales live in oceans all over the world, but first and foremost in warm and tropical oceans. The males measure 5,5 meters and weigh 2000 kilograms. The females are a bit smaller, they measure 5 meters and weigh 1200 kilograms. False killer whales lives in groups with up to hundreds of individuals.
Risso's dolphin
© DolphinsOrcasLovers
The Risso's dolphin eats octopus and lives in deep water. They have only 7 pairs of teeth in the lower jaw. They live in big groups and bite each other so the older animals often are covered of white scars. The Risso's dolphin lives in all tropical oceans. The males are about 4 meters and weigh 400 kilograms. The females measure 3,5 meters and weigh 350 kilograms. The scientific name for Risso's dolphin is Grampus griseus.
Amazon river dolphin
© Alltomdelfiner.se
Exactly like the other river dolphins, the amazon river dolphin has a
long nose with many teeth. The amazon river dolphin has small eyes and does not
see very good. But in the muddy waters in the Amazon River eyes do not help
much. Instead the dolphin uses its sonar and it has also sensitive hair along
the nose. The amazon river dolphin does not have a dorsal fin, but instead it
has a hump on the back. The river dolphin’s brain is very small, but compared
to the other river dolphins the amazon river dolphin has a pretty big brain.
The amazon river dolphin measures 208-247 centimetres and weighs 85-130
kilograms.
Dusky dolphin
The dusky dolphin makes amazing jumps. It lives near the coast of New
Zealand, South America and South Africa. In Peru the dusky dolphin is hunted
for its meat. Dusky dolphins measure 1,8 meters and weigh 115 kilograms. Its
scientific name is Lagenorhynchus obscurus.
Spinner dolphin
The spinner dolphin is a playful and acrobatic dolphin. It lives in deep water and likely in all tropical oceans. Spinner dolphins have made moves of 500 kilometres. Like other dolphin species the spinner dolphin is a social animal with a big brain. The spinner dolphin measures 1,8 meters and weighs 75 kilograms. Its scientific name is Stenella longirostris.
Commerson’s dolphin
© Johanna Eriksson
The Commerson’s dolphin is one
of the smallest dolphin species. It measures 1,3 meters and weighs 50
kilograms. The Commerson’s dolphin lives in small groups. No one knows exactly
how old Commerson’s dolphins can be but probably about 18 years. The scientific
name is Cephalorhynchus commersoni. The Commmerson’s dolphin lives in cold
waters in South America and the Falkland Islands. The Commerson’s dolphin eats
fish, shellfishes and octopus. Often there are about 10 individuals in one
group of Commerson’s dolphin, but sometimes they are up to 100 individuals. The
Commerson’s dolphin lives in shallow waters.
Clymene dolphin
This dolphin species measures 1,7-2 meters and weighs 50-90 kilograms.
It lives in the tropical parts of Atlantic Ocean. The Clymene dolphin lives in
groups of 5-50 individuals. It eats fish, octopus and shrimps. The scientific
name is Stenella clymene.
Melon-headed whale
The melon-headed whale probably lives in all tropical oceans. It
measures 2,2 meters and weighs 160 kilograms. The scientific name is
Peponocephala electra.
Pygmy killer whale
The pygmy killer whale probably lives in all tropical and subtropical
oceans. It measures 2,1-2,4 meters and weighs 150-170 kilograms. The scientific
name is Feresa attenuata.
Chilean dolphin
The Chilean dolphin lives in the coast waters of Chile. It measures 1,2
meters and weighs 45 kilograms. The scientific name is Cephalorhynchus
eutropia.
Peale’s dolphin
The Peale’s dolphin lives in cold waters in Argentina, Chile and the
Falkland Islands. It measures 2 meters and weighs 115 kilograms. The scientific
name is Lagenorhynchus australis.
Fraser’s dolphin
The scientific name for Fraser’s dolphin is Lagenorhynchus hosei. It
measures 2,3 meters and weighs about 90 kilograms. Fraser’s dolphin lives in
warm waters in all oceans.
Hector’s dolphin
Cephalorhynchus hectori, that is the scientific name of the Hector’s
dolphin. It is a small dolphin species that measures 1,4 meters and weighs 40
kilograms. It lives in the coast waters of New Zealand. At birth the Hector’s
dolphin measures 60 centimetres and weighs 9 kilograms.
La Plata dolphin
The La Plata dolphin is a river dolphin that measures 155-175
centimetres and weighs 32-52 kilograms. It lives in the east coast of South
America. The La Plata dolphin has, unlike the rest of the river dolphins, a
dorsal fin (the other river dolphins have a hump instead). The scientific name
is Pontoporia balinvillei.
Heaviside’s dolphin
The heaviside’s dolphin is a little dolphin that measures 1,2 meters and
weighs 40 kilograms. It lives in South Africa’s coast water.
Yangtse river dolphin
The Yangtse river dolphin measures 2,5 meters and weighs 160 kilograms.
At birth the Yangtse river dolphin measures 95 centimetres and weighs 10
kilograms. The Yangtse river dolphin is one of the most uncommon mammals,
because of fishing nets that the dolphin gets stuck in and pollution in the
waters where it lives. In 1986 it was thought that there were about 300 Yangtse
river dolphins in the world and now it can be exterminated. The scientific name
is Lipotes vexillifer. The Yangtse river dolphin eats first and foremost fish.
Short-finned pilot whale
The short-finned pilot whale lives in all tropical and subtropical
oceans and its scientific is Globicephala macrorhynchus. The males measure
4,75-6,75 meters and weigh 3000 kilograms, while the females measure 3,6-5
meters and weigh 1300 kilograms. Like other dolphin species the short-finned
pilot whale is pregnant for about 1 year. At birth the calf measures 1,4-1,9
meters and weighs 60 kilograms.
Hourglass dolphin
The hourglass dolphin is a black and white dolphin that measures 1,6
meters and weighs about 100 kilograms. Its scientific name is Lagenorhynchus
cruciger. The hourglass dolphins live in small groups with 5-10 individuals,
but sometimes they swim in groups with up to 100 individuals. The hourglass
dolphin eats fish and shellfishes. It lives in the Antarctic but it can be seen
in Chile and New Zealand.