Pygmy spinner dolphin
Stenella longirostris roseiventris
A tiny Southeast Asian form of the spinner dolphin that lives over shallow reefs and shelves. It is far smaller than Hawaiian spinners, and not a separate species.
Least Concern (IUCN, 2018) means it is not at high risk of extinction worldwide today. The dwarf spinner has no assessment of its own, so this is the status of the spinner dolphin species.
Length
Adult males measured about 1.29 to 1.37 m (4.2 to 4.5 ft); largest about 1.58 m (5.2 ft)
Weight
Not reliably measured for this dwarf form
Next to a person
One of the smallest spinner dolphins; many adults are shorter than an adult person
What it eats
Mainly small reef and bottom-living fishes and invertebrates, probably caught mostly by day.
Around people
Calm, give space
How it lives
This is a small Southeast Asian form of the spinner dolphin, with a pinkish belly. Like other spinners, it is very social. Unlike most spinners, which hunt in deep water at night, it feeds over shallow reefs and shelves, mostly on reef and bottom fishes and invertebrates.
Populations
The dwarf spinner is a subspecies found in shallow waters of Southeast Asia and northern Australia, such as the Gulf of Thailand and the Timor and Arafura Seas. In deeper water it is replaced by the larger ocean form. Timor-Leste's 2016 survey recorded it separately from the typical spinner dolphin. The IUCN rating of Least Concern is for the whole spinner dolphin species; this dwarf form has no separate assessment.
Meet it respectfully
Never chase, touch or feed dolphins, and never interrupt a resting group. Keep boats slow and let the dolphins choose how close to come. Rules for boats and swimmers differ by country, so follow local law and your guide's briefing.
Fun fact
Tap the bulb to light it up.
Timor-Leste's 2016 survey recorded both the typical spinner dolphin and the much smaller dwarf form in the same region.
Its name roseiventris means 'rose-bellied'.
It is the same species as Hawaiian spinner dolphins, but much smaller.
Pygmy spinner dolphin in the Ocean Atlas
Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.
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Country colour: pink where we travel, blue where we are exploring or refer, grey for story only.
Australia
IndonesiaRead more about the pygmy spinner dolphin
Sources for this page
- Timor-Leste Country Synthesis Report, 2023
- IWC, 2026
- NOAA Fisheries, 2026
- IUCN Red List, Braulik and Reeves, 2018
- ITIS, dwarf spinner dolphin
Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.
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