STUDIED SPECIES
The short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
© R. Bettencourt / ImagDOP
Common dolphins (
Delphinus delphis
) are highly abundant and have a
world-wide distribution, inhabiting temperate, subtropical and
tropical waters. They are commonly observed in coastal areas, but are
also often found offshore with movements linked to bottom topography,
such as underwater escarpments and sea mounts. Common dolphins grow
between 1.7 and 2.6 m in body length and weight 80 kg on average, with
a maximum weight of 136 kg. Females tend to be slightly smaller than
males. Common dolphins often hunt cooperatively, feeding primarily on
cephalopods and small schooling fish, such as herring, pilchard,
anchovy, sardine and hake. They are a highly social species, with
group size ranging from 20-30 to several thousand individuals. Age at
sexual maturity is between 5 and 12 years for females and 3 to 12
years for males. Females calve every 1 to 2 years and weaning usually
occurs between 6 and 12 months of age.
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