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Common dolphin - DELPHINUS DELPHIS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Dolphin": "Dolphin" is an old Greek word for the animal itself.
Location: All the seas and oceans in the world except the polar seas. Also seen in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas.
Habitat: Aquatic. Coastal and open waters, but rarely near shore or in shallow water.
Description: This species has been divided into subspecies occurring in different seas or oceans, and details of local populations need further study. The color, size, and length of snout vary from place to place as well as from one individual to another. There are 40 to 50 teeth on each side of each jaw, and the first two cervical vertebrae are fused. The fins are all markedly pointed and triangular. They reach a length of about 8.5 ft, and a weight up to 300 lbs, females slightly smaller.
Behavior: This dolphin swims in pods of up to 100 individuals, but has been sighted in groups of more than 1000! It migrates continuously throughout the year. In the Atlantic its migratory route takes it from the Mediterranean to the coasts of America, following a circular itinerary. It can swim up to speeds of 25 knots, and is often seen playing near ships. It feeds on fish.
Reproduction: Mating takes place in summer and autumn and gestation lasts for about 11 months, after which a single calf three to four feet long is born.
Note: Dolphins become sexually mature after 3 or 4 years and can live as long as 25, even 30 years.
Go to the Cetacea Page to learn more about the other whale-like animals.
Go to the Index to compare the various Dolphins found in America Zoo.
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