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Oceanic Dolphins (family delphinidae)

  • Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata)

    Stenella attenuata (Pantropical spotted dolphin)

    The most distinctive feature of the pantropical spotted dolphin is, as its name suggests, the spots that speckle the body of adults. Newborn…

    More about the pantropical spotted dolphin »

    19 photos

    2 videos

  • Pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata)

    Feresa attenuata (Pygmy killer whale)

    Contrary to its name, the little-known pygmy killer whale is actually a member of the dolphin family. Until 1952 the pygmy killer whale was…

    More about the pygmy killer whale »

    11 photo

    1 video

  • Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas)

    Globicephala melas (Long-finned pilot whale)

    The long-finned pilot whale is not actually a whale, but a dolphin. Along with the related short-finned pilot whale, this species was once…

    More about the long-finned pilot whale »

    13 photos

    2 videos

  • Hourglass dolphin (Lagenorhynchus cruciger)

    Lagenorhynchus cruciger (Hourglass dolphin)

    The small and robust hourglass dolphin (Lagenorhynchus cruciger) is often nicknamed the ‘sea cow’ due to its characteristic black and white…

    More about the hourglass dolphin »

    4 photos

    0 videos

  • Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)

    Cephalorhynchus hectori (Hector's dolphin)

    Hector's dolphin, one of the rarest and smallest of marine dolphins, has a short, stocky torpedo-shaped body, which becomes narrow towards…

    More about the hector's dolphin »

    20 photos

    5 videos

  • Long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis)

    Delphinus capensis (Long-beaked common dolphin)

    Since the mid-1990s, the common dolphin has been split into two species, the long-beaked common dolphin and the short-beaked common dolphin…

    More about the long-beaked common dolphin »

    32 photos

    0 videos

  • Pacific white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens)

    Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (Pacific white-sided dolphin)

    Information on the Pacific white-sided dolphin is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly.…

    More about the pacific white-sided dolphin »

    24 photos

    3 videos

  • Heaviside’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii)

    Cephalorhynchus heavisidii (Heaviside’s dolphin)

    One of the most poorly known dolphins and also amongst the smallest, Heaviside’s dolphin has a blunt head, rounded, paddle-like flippers…

    More about the heaviside’s dolphin »

    13 photos

    0 videos

  • Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)

    Stenella frontalis (Atlantic spotted dolphin)

    Often observed in the clear, shallow waters surrounding the Bahamas, the Atlantic spotted dolphin is said to be an intermediate in…

    More about the atlantic spotted dolphin »

    40 photos

    6 videos

  • White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris)

    Lagenorhynchus albirostris (White-beaked dolphin)

    Despite the common and Latin names (albirostris means 'white beak'), the short, stocky beak of the white-beaked dolphin is not always white…

    More about the white-beaked dolphin »

    3 photos

    2 videos

  • Rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis)

    Steno bredanensis (Rough-toothed dolphin)

    With a head that slopes smoothly down into a long beak, and large flippers that are set fairly far back on the body, this rather…

    More about the rough-toothed dolphin »

    21 photo

    1 video

  • Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis)

    Sousa chinensis (Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin)

    The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin has a typically streamlined body and a long slender beak. Populations differ in both shape and colour…

    More about the indo-pacific humpback dolphin »

    18 photo

    1 video

  • Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

    Delphinus delphis (Short-beaked common dolphin)

    The short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is the commonest dolphin species, but exact numbers are unknown. It is easily identified…

    More about the short-beaked common dolphin »

    39 photos

    2 videos

  • Commerson’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii)

    Cephalorhynchus commersonii (Commerson’s dolphin)

    Information on the Commerson’s dolphin is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly.…

    More about the commerson’s dolphin »

    14 photo

    1 video

  • Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra)

    Peponocephala electra (Melon-headed whale)

    The melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra) is a member of a group of small, dark-coloured whales often referred to as ‘blackfish’. As…

    More about the melon-headed whale »

    10 photos

    0 videos

  • Atlantic humpbacked dolphin (Sousa teuszii)

    Sousa teuszii (Atlantic humpbacked dolphin)

    The most distinctive feature of this rather elusive cetacean is its distinctive humped appearance when it breaks the ocean’s surface to…

    More about the atlantic humpbacked dolphin »

    2 photos

    0 videos

  • Fraser’s dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei)

    Lagenodelphis hosei (Fraser’s dolphin)

    This tropical dolphin was scientifically described in 1956 from an individual washed up on a beach in Borneo, but was not actually recorded…

    More about the fraser’s dolphin »

    7 photos

    0 videos

  • Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

    Tursiops truncatus (Bottlenose dolphin)

    The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is one of the most well-known species of dolphin. There appear to be two main varieties; a…

    More about the bottlenose dolphin »

    49 photos

    5 videos

  • Peale’s dolphin (Lagenorhynchus australis)

    Lagenorhynchus australis (Peale’s dolphin)

    A fairly robust dolphin with a short, rounded snout, Peale’s dolphin is greyish black above and mostly white below. A curved, light grey…

    More about the peale’s dolphin »

    10 photo

    1 video

  • Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)

    Orcaella brevirostris (Irrawaddy dolphin)

    A particularly distinctive dolphin, the Irrawaddy has a rounded head with no beak and a flexible neck, causing visible creases behind the…

    More about the irrawaddy dolphin »

    10 photos

    4 videos

  • Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)

    Grampus griseus (Risso's dolphin)

    One of the most enigmatic cetaceans, this little-known dolphin has an unusual appearance. Unlike many other dolphins, Risso’s dolphin lacks…

    More about the risso's dolphin »

    19 photo

    1 video

  • Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene)

    Stenella clymene (Clymene dolphin)

    One of the most recently recognised species of dolphin, the Clymene dolphin remains among the least known of the Delphinidae. In appearance…

    More about the clymene dolphin »

    4 photos

    0 videos

  • Short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)

    Globicephala macrorhynchus (Short-finned pilot whale)

    The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is relatively large member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae), and is known for…

    More about the short-finned pilot whale »

    26 photos

    2 videos

  • Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus)

    Lagenorhynchus obscurus (Dusky dolphin)

    Originally named ‘Fitzroy’s dolphin’ by Charles Darwin after the Captain of the Beagle, the dusky dolphin is a relatively small, compact…

    More about the dusky dolphin »

    12 photos

    10 videos

  • Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

    Tursiops aduncus (Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin)

    Information on the Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly.…

    More about the indian ocean bottlenose dolphin »

    10 photos

    0 videos

  • Tucuxi dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis)

    Sotalia fluviatilis (Tucuxi dolphin)

    The tucuxi dolphin (pronounced ‘too-koo-shee’) quite closely resembles the bottlenose dolphin, but smaller. It is blue to light grey on the…

    More about the tucuxi dolphin »

    9 photos

    5 videos

  • Orca (Orcinus orca)

    Orcinus orca (Orca)

    Also known as the killer whale, the orca (Orcinus orca) is the largest member of the dolphin family, and one of the most distinctive of all…

    More about the orca »

    51 photos

    4 videos

  • Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)

    Stenella coeruleoalba (Striped dolphin)

    With the classic dolphin shape, the striped dolphin’s most remarkable feature is the distinctive pattern of blue and white stripes along the…

    More about the striped dolphin »

    14 photo

    1 video

  • Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)

    Stenella longirostris (Spinner dolphin)

    The acrobatic spinner dolphin is the most common small cetacean in many tropical open seas, where it can be seen spinning high in the air…

    More about the spinner dolphin »

    24 photos

    6 videos

  • Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)

    Lagenorhynchus acutus (Atlantic white-sided dolphin)

    The Atlantic white-sided dolphin is a large, robust species, which is easily recognised by the obvious yellow patch towards the rear of the…

    More about the atlantic white-sided dolphin »

    2 photos

    0 videos

  • Southern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis peronii)

    Lissodelphis peronii (Southern right whale dolphin)

    Information on the southern right whale dolphin is currently being researched and written and will appear here shortly.…

    More about the southern right whale dolphin »

    5 photos

    0 videos

  • False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)

    Pseudorca crassidens (False killer whale)

    Despite its name, the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is not a close relative of the killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca), and any…

    More about the false killer whale »

    16 photos

    0 videos

  • Chilean dolphin (Cephalorhynchus eutropia)

    Cephalorhynchus eutropia (Chilean dolphin)

    The Chilean dolphin (Cephalorhynchus eutropia) is a little known species with a relatively small distribution. Small and stocky like the…

    More about the chilean dolphin »

    5 photos

    0 videos

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