Mammals · Artiodactyla · Delphinidae

Spinner Dolphin

Stenella longirostris

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The spinner dolphin is a slender, long-beaked dolphin famous for its acrobatic leaps. Its life follows a strongly marked daily cycle: it spends the day resting as a group in shallow sandy bays, where the pale bottom lets it spot sharks, and at dusk it moves offshore to hunt by night the fish and squid of the deep scattering layer, which rises towards the surface in darkness. Tourist pressure on its resting areas is a growing threat.

Weight

45 kg – 75 kg

Size

1.3 m – 2.4 m

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanCarnivore Nocturnal Ocean Mammal

83countries 41parks 47dive sites17same family1featured routes

Fun facts

comportamientoIt is known for spinning completely around its own long axis in mid-air as it leaps, a behaviour whose exact purpose — communication, shedding parasites — is still debated.
Its leaps are unique: it spins on its own long axis as many as seven times in the air before falling back into the water.
Its daytime rest is not sleep in the usual sense: like all cetaceans it sleeps with half its brain at a time, keeping the other hemisphere awake to breathe and keep watch.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Tropical and subtropical waters of every ocean; it rests by day in shallow bays
Sexual maturity: 6 years
Gestation / incubation: 10.5 months
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenella_longirostris