#SPINNER DOLPHIN SKIN#
Usually, these dolphins are tripartite, having a three-layered skin pattern with a dark grey back (dorsal), light grey sides, and a white belly (ventral), but the physical appearance is highly dependent on the geographic range of the subspecies, as described below. The dorsal fin is triangular in shape, but the tip can vary so that it is directed anterior (canted), posterior (falcate), or straight up (erect), depending on the geographic morph. The body is torpedo-shaped but irregular. Range depth 400 (high) m 1312.34 (high) ftĬompared to other cetaceans, this species is relatively small and slim.They may go as deep as 400 m in search of prey. Similar to other ocean species, spinner dolphins often congregate near divergence zones at current margins and at current ridges because there is a high concentration of food organisms in these areas. Other populations rest in shallow, coastal waters and during the day stay in sandy-bottomed bays or coral atolls.Īlthough these dolphins tend to remain near the surface, their distribution often relates to the topography of the oceanic floor far below them they are much more common where the bottom is rough than where there is a flat, abyssal plain. Some populations are predominantly offshore, especially those in the eastern tropical Pacific. Spinner dolphins are most often found in warm, surface waters. There is some overlap in the distribution of this morph and Gray's spinner dolphins.Īdaptations to specific environmental conditions in different parts of the range are believed to underlie the emergence of subspecies and associated differences in physical appearance, mating system, and more. Whitebelly spinner dolphins (a hybrid between Gray's spinner dolphins and eastern spinner dolphins) are found in the eastern tropical Pacific. roseiventris are common in the waters of Southeast Asia and northern Australia. centroamericana are found only in the coastal waters of the eastern tropical Pacific near Central America.ĭwarf spinner dolphins, S. orientalis, are found only in the waters of the far-eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, predominantly offshore.Ĭentral American spinner dolphins, S. These are the most common form and are found in most areas of the world, except for some parts of tropical Asia and the eastern tropical Pacific.Įastern spinner dolphins, S. There are 5 different geographic morphs: Gray's spinner dolphins, also known as Hawaiian spinner dolphins, S.
It ranges between 40°N and 40°S latitudes. Spinner dolphins, Stenella longirostris, are found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the ocean, and may appear near the shores of continents, islands, and reefs.
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