Sealife guideThe common dolphinDelphinus delphis

Last updated on 01/19/2026 at 11:38 PM

The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Taxonomy

Common name: Common dolphin, short-beaked common dolphin, long-beaked common dolphin
French name: Dauphin commun, dauphin commun à petit bec, dauphin commun à long bec
Spanish name: Delfín común
Scientific name: Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family name: Delphinidae
Order name: Cetacea
Class name: Sea mammals [Mammalia]

Description

The common dolphin is a moderately sized dolphin species, with an average length of about 6.5 feet and a weight of around 220 lbs.

The common dolphin is recognizable by its dark bluish-gray coloration on its back and whitish flanks © NOAA

The common dolphin is recognizable by its dark bluish-gray coloration on the back and whitish flanks. Yellowish and bluish patterns form an hourglass-shaped marking along its sides. Its belly is light-colored.

The dorsal fin of the common dolphin is dark gray with a lighter area in its center.

The common dolphin has a slender overall appearance, with a streamlined melon and a long, narrow beak, also known as the rostrum.

Geographic range

The common dolphin is a widespread and abundant species in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is particularly common in the Mediterranean Sea as well as in the Black Sea.

The common dolphin is also found in the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the Indian Ocean, along the southeastern coast of Africa and the western coast of Australia.

Habitat

The common dolphin is a social species that travels in groups ranging from about ten to forty individuals. It mainly inhabits coastal waters but can also be found several thousand miles offshore.

Diet

The common dolphin mainly feeds on small schooling pelagic fish such as anchovies, sardines and herring, as well as squid, although its diet remains very diverse.

Yellowish and bluish color variations form an hourglass-shaped pattern along the sides of the common dolphin © Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith sous licence Creative Commons

Reproduction

After a gestation period of about eleven months, female common dolphins give birth to a calf during the summer season. The mother then nurses the calf for more than one year.

Did you know ?

The common dolphin can be confused with two other dolphin species with similar coloration: the striped dolphin, found in northern Mediterranean waters, and the Cape dolphin, which inhabits more tropical regions.

The common dolphin is listed as many other marine species within The IUCN Red List of threatened species. The common dolphin appears in the IUCN Red List since 2021 within the category Least Concern !

Tips for observing

The common dolphin often makes its presence known near the bow of the boat, where it may playfully perform jumps out of the water !

The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) © Michael Valos | Dreamstime.com

Within the same family

Atlantic spotted dolphin
(Stenella frontalis)

Common bottlenose dolphin
(Tursiops truncatus)

Pacific white-sided dolphin
(Sagmatias obliquidens)

Risso's dolphin
(Grampus griseus)

Spinner dolphin
(Stenella longirostris)

Striped dolphin
(Stenella coeruleoalba)

White headed dolphin
(Cephalorhynchus hectori)

Discover also

Amazon river dolphin
(Inia geoffrensis)

Antarctic fur seal
(Arctocephalus gazella)

Australian sea lion
(Neophoca cinerea)

Dugong
(Dugong dugon)

Fin whale
(Balaenoptera physalus)

Humpback whale
(Megaptera novaeangliae)

Narwhal
(Monodon monoceros)

Sperm whale
(Physeter macrocephalus)

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