SPINNER DOLPHIN

So called for their high, spinning leaps, spinner dolphins are known as playful, eager bow-riders throughout much of their range. But in the eastern tropical Pacific, where tuna fishermen have killed millions of spinners since 1959, the dolphins no longer approach ships.

Stenella longirostris
Size: 1.7 to 2.2 m, 75 kg. Males slightly larger than females
Calves at birth: 77 cm
Teeth: 45 to 65 sharp-pointed teeth on each side of upper and lower jaw
Food: Fish (small deep-ocean species) and squid
Habitat: Mainly offshore
Range: Tropical, subtropical and wrm temperate world ocean
Status: Population unknown, but common in most parts of its range. Substantial declines have occurred in the easter tropical Pacific

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