Pantropical Spotted Dolphin

The pantropical spotted dolphin is found in temperate and tropical oceans between about 40°N and 40°S and is one of the most common dolphins in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Adults are about 2.5 m long and weigh 110–140 kg, and newborns are 80–90 cm. It varies a lot in size and colour across its range, the coastal form being larger and more spotted. Spots are the key mark of adults, while young are uniformly coloured and can be mistaken for bottlenose dolphins (Wikipedia, general species account).

Females mature at about ten years and males at twelve, and the average lifespan is around 40 years. It feeds on small epipelagic fish and sometimes squid and crustaceans. The species suffered badly from tuna purse-seine fishing in other oceans, where millions were killed. Its occurrence in Japanese waters is documented by the National Museum of Nature and Science marine-mammal database.