Atlantic spotted dolphin

How it lives

Atlantic spotted dolphins hunt together, and sometimes dig their beaks into the sand to catch hidden fish. Groups are usually fewer than 50, often 5 to 15 near the coast, and sometimes up to about 200. Females have a single calf every 1 to 5 years and may nurse it for years. They often ride the waves made by boats.

Where it goes

Most dives are shallow, under about 9 m, but they can reach about 60 m. In the Bahamas, dolphins feed on the sandbanks by day and often move to the deep ledge at night to hunt flying fish and squid. Oceanic animals around the Azores and Madeira are closely related to offshore animals across the western North Atlantic.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Found only in the warm Atlantic. There are two well-documented forms: a larger, heavily spotted form over the coastal shelf, and a smaller, lightly spotted or plain form offshore and around islands such as the Azores and Madeira. Gulf of Mexico shelf dolphins also differ from those of the western North Atlantic. On Little Bahama Bank, a shallow-water community has been studied for many years.