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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Animals

Dolphins

Risso's dolphin

Grampus griseus

Pale, scarred deep-water dolphins with a creased, rounded head, often active at the surface. Keep boats calm and never chase.

Least ConcernIn 56 Atlas countries

Least Concern (IUCN, 2018) means it is not at high risk of extinction worldwide today.

Scarred Risso's dolphin spyhopping out of the water
Photo: smeckert, iNaturalist, CC BY
Pale scarred Risso's dolphin surfacing with tall dorsal fin
Photo: Charlotte Kirchner, iNaturalist, CC BY
Very pale adult Risso's dolphin surfacing
Photo: Morgan Caygill, iNaturalist, CC BY
Risso's dolphin adult and calf surfacing together
Photo: Charlotte Kirchner, iNaturalist, CC BY
Two Risso's dolphins surfacing, one heavily scarred
Photo: Charlotte Kirchner, iNaturalist, CC BY
Risso's dolphin leaping clear of the water
Photo: Morgan Caygill, iNaturalist, CC BY
Heavily scarred Risso's dolphin head at the surface
Photo: Daniel Benák, iNaturalist, CC BY
Risso's dolphin breaching in choppy sea
Photo: Lucy Keith-Diagne, iNaturalist, CC BY

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

About 2.6-4.0 m (8.5-13 ft); males and females are similar

Weight

About 300-500 kg (660-1,100 lb)

Next to a person

Longer than two adults lying end to end, and several times a person's weight

What it eats

Mainly squid and other cephalopods, plus some fish and krill, often caught at night.

Around people

Calm, give space

How it lives

Risso's dolphins live offshore and along the edge of the continental shelf, usually in groups of 10 to 30 and sometimes more. They are lively at the surface, leaping, spyhopping and showing their tails. They dive to about 300 m (1,000 ft) or more, often feeding at night on squid rising from the deep. Adults grow paler and more scarred with age.

Populations

Found in deep temperate and tropical seas around the world. The species as a whole is Least Concern, but the Mediterranean subpopulation is listed as Endangered. Timor-Leste records were confirmed in national work in 2008 and in a November 2016 survey of the Dili-Tibar-Ataúro area, but local numbers and seasons are not well known.

Meet it respectfully

Boats should approach slowly and travel alongside, never chasing or surrounding the group. Never feed or touch wild dolphins. Give resting groups and mothers with calves extra space, and let the dolphins decide whether to come closer. In Spain, the law keeps boats out of a 60 m zone and does not allow swimming there.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Where you may meet it

Risso's 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.

FijiTanzaniaW. SaharaCanadaUnited States of AmericaKazakhstanUzbekistanPapua New GuineaIndonesiaArgentinaChileDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSudanChadHaitiDominican Rep.RussiaBahamasFalkland Is.NorwayGreenlandFr. S. Antarctic LandsTimor-LesteSouth AfricaLesothoMexicoUruguayBrazilBoliviaPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaSenegalMaliMauritaniaBeninNigerNigeriaCameroonTogoGhanaCôte d'IvoireGuineaGuinea-BissauLiberiaSierra LeoneBurkina FasoCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueeSwatiniAngolaBurundiIsraelLebanonMadagascarPalestineGambiaTunisiaAlgeriaJordanUnited Arab EmiratesQatarKuwaitIraqOmanVanuatuCambodiaThailandLaosMyanmarVietnamNorth KoreaSouth KoreaMongoliaIndiaBangladeshBhutanNepalPakistanAfghanistanTajikistanKyrgyzstanTurkmenistanIranSyriaArmeniaSwedenBelarusUkrainePolandAustriaHungaryMoldovaRomaniaLithuaniaLatviaEstoniaGermanyBulgariaGreeceTurkeyAlbaniaCroatiaSwitzerlandLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsPortugalSpainIrelandNew CaledoniaSolomon Is.New ZealandAustraliaSri LankaChinaTaiwanItalyDenmarkUnited KingdomIcelandAzerbaijanGeorgiaPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiSloveniaFinlandSlovakiaCzechiaEritreaJapanParaguayYemenSaudi ArabiaN. CyprusCyprusMoroccoEgyptLibyaEthiopiaDjiboutiSomalilandUgandaRwandaBosnia and Herz.MacedoniaSerbiaMontenegroKosovoTrinidad and TobagoS. SudanHimarë and Porto Palermo, AlbaniaSarandë and Ksamil, AlbaniaVlorë, Karaburun and Sazan, AlbaniaChiloé and the Gulf of Corcovado, ChileFrancisco Coloane, Strait of Magellan, ChilePunta de Choros and the Humboldt Archipelago, ChileRapa Nui, ChileRobinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández), ChileAnjouan, ComorosGrande Comore, ComorosMohéli, ComorosCyprus, CyprusDahab, EgyptMarsa Alam, EgyptMoʻorea, French PolynesiaRurutu, French PolynesiaAlonissos, GreeceAmorgos, GreeceAntiparos, GreeceAthens Riviera and Attica, GreeceCorfu, GreeceCrete, GreeceFolegandros, GreeceHalkidiki, GreeceKalamata and Messinia, GreeceKalymnos, GreeceKea, GreeceKefalonia, GreeceKos, GreeceMilos, GreeceNaxos, GreeceNisyros, GreeceRhodes, GreeceSkopelos, GreeceZakynthos, GreeceAmed, Bali, IndonesiaGili Trawangan, IndonesiaKomodo, IndonesiaGili Air, IndonesiaMaratua and Derawan, IndonesiaRaja Ampat, IndonesiaNusa Penida, IndonesiaLovina, Bali, IndonesiaLa Ventana, MexicoGuadalupe Island, MexicoDhofar and the Hallaniyat Islands, OmanMusandam and Khasab, OmanMuscat and the Daymaniyat Islands, OmanCoron, Palawan, PhilippinesMoalboal, Cebu, PhilippinesPanglao and Balicasag, Bohol, PhilippinesSiquijor, PhilippinesApo Island and Dauin, PhilippinesApo Reef, PhilippinesBoracay, PhilippinesEl Nido and Bacuit Bay, PhilippinesPort Barton and San Vicente, PhilippinesTubbataha Reefs, PhilippinesFaial and Horta, PortugalMadeira, PortugalPico (Madalena and Lajes), PortugalPrincess Alice Bank, PortugalUmluj and the Red Sea islands, Saudi ArabiaYanbu, Saudi ArabiaJeddah and Obhur, Saudi ArabiaAl Lith, Saudi ArabiaGulf of Aqaba coast, Saudi ArabiaCabo de Palos and Cartagena, SpainEl Hierro and La Restinga, SpainFormentera, SpainFuerteventura, SpainGran Canaria, SpainIbiza, SpainJávea (Xàbia), SpainL'Estartit and the Medes Islands, SpainLa Herradura and Costa Tropical, SpainLa Palma, SpainLanzarote, SpainMallorca, SpainMenorca, SpainMálaga and the Costa del Sol, SpainTabarca and Alicante, SpainTarifa and the Strait of Gibraltar, SpainTenerife, SpainMafia Island, TanzaniaMikindani and Mnazi Bay, TanzaniaZanzibar - Matemwe, Mnemba and Chumbe, TanzaniaBimini, The BahamasAndros, The BahamasExuma Cays, The BahamasEleuthera, The BahamasSoufrière and the Pitons, Saint LuciaAnse Chastanet, Saint LuciaWest coast deep water, Saint LuciaGrande Anse, Saint LuciaKish Island, IranHengam Island and Dolphins' Bay, IranQeshm Island and the Hara mangroves, IranDayer-Nakhiloo Marine National Park, IranXiaoliuqiu, TaiwanHualien, TaiwanDili and the Ombai-Wetar strait, Timor-LesteAtauro Island, Timor-LesteBay of Kotor, MontenegroUlcinj coast, MontenegroWallis Island lagoon, Wallis and FutunaFutuna, Wallis and FutunaKaş, TürkiyeFlorida Keys (Key Largo), United StatesLa Jolla and the Channel Islands, United StatesMaui, United StatesOʻahu, United StatesSan Diego and La Jolla, United StatesJuneau and Southeast Alaska, United StatesGlacier Bay, United StatesSeward and Kenai Fjords, United StatesAjaccio and the Gulf of Ajaccio, FranceBonifacio, Porto-Vecchio and the Lavezzi Islands, FranceMarseille, the Calanques and Cassis, FrancePort-Cros, Porquerolles and Hyères, FranceVillefranche-sur-Mer and Nice, FranceInner Hebrides (Coll, Tiree and Mull), United KingdomMoray Firth and Chanonry Point, United KingdomOrkney and Scapa Flow, United KingdomFarne Islands, United KingdomLundy, United KingdomBaird Bay and Eyre Peninsula, AustraliaBarunguba and Narooma, AustraliaBremer Bay, AustraliaCairns, Port Douglas and the Ribbon Reefs, AustraliaChristmas Island, AustraliaCocos (Keeling) Islands, AustraliaLady Elliot Island, AustraliaLord Howe Island, AustraliaNingaloo, AustraliaRowley Shoals, AustraliaTasman Peninsula and Eaglehawk Neck, AustraliaMaria Island and the east coast, AustraliaOkinawa, JapanWest Cork coast, IrelandDingle Peninsula and Blasket Islands, IrelandShannon Estuary and Loop Head, IrelandPond Inlet and the Nunavut floe edge, CanadaDigby Neck and Brier Island, CanadaSable Island, CanadaGalápagos, EcuadorFernando de Noronha, BrazilAbrolhos, BrazilPraia do Forte, BrazilSanta Catarina whale coast, BrazilBonito, BrazilDrake and Caño, Costa RicaQuepos and Golfo Dulce, Costa RicaBourail, Poé and Déva, New CaledoniaNouméa and the Great Southern Lagoon, New CaledoniaPoindimié and Hienghène, New CaledoniaÎle des Pins (Kunié), New CaledoniaBanc d'Arguin National Park, MauritaniaNouadhibou and Cap Blanc, MauritaniaSkjervøy and Kvænangen, NorwayEilat and the Coral Beach Nature Reserve, IsraelMalpelo, ColombiaGorgona, ColombiaNuquí, Bahía Solano and Utría, ColombiaProvidencia and Santa Catalina, ColombiaSan Andrés, ColombiaMáncora, Los Órganos and Cabo Blanco, PeruPunta Sal and the Tumbes coast, PeruParacas and the Ballestas Islands, PeruPuerto Madryn and Punta Loma, ArgentinaPenínsula Valdés and Puerto Pirámides, ArgentinaLa Digue, SeychellesMahé, SeychellesPraslin and Curieuse, SeychellesMayotte lagoon, MayotteAliwal Shoal and Umkomaas, South AfricaCape Town and Hermanus, South AfricaSodwana Bay, South AfricaWadden Sea, NetherlandsZeeland coast, NetherlandsIfaty and Mangily, MadagascarNosy Be, MadagascarÎle Sainte-Marie, MadagascarAmatique Bay and Livingston, GuatemalaIztapa, GuatemalaPort Sudan reefs and Sanganeb, SudanDungonab Bay, SudanSanta Catalina and Coiba, PanamaGulf of Chiriquí, PanamaPearl Islands, PanamaIsla Iguana and Isla Cañas, PanamaBocas del Toro and Bastimentos, PanamaGuna Yala, PanamaAwala Yalimapo and the Amana reserve, French GuianaHabibas Islands, AlgeriaTaza, AlgeriaIona National Park coast, AngolaKissama National Park coast, AngolaSaloum Delta, SenegalTrincomalee and Nilaveli, Sri LankaLittle Belt, DenmarkOresund near Helsingor, DenmarkLe Carbet and the Caribbean coast, MartiniqueJames Bay and the island marine park, Saint Helena

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AlbaniaAlgeriaAngolaArgentinaAustraliaThe BahamasBrazilCanadaChileColombiaComorosCosta RicaCyprusDenmarkEcuadorEgyptFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaGreeceGuatemalaIndonesiaIranIrelandIsraelJapanMadagascarMartiniqueMauritaniaMayotteMexicoMontenegroNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNorwayOmanPanamaPeruPhilippinesPortugalSaint HelenaSaint LuciaSaudi ArabiaSenegalSeychellesSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanTaiwanTanzaniaTimor-LesteTürkiyeUnited KingdomUnited StatesWallis and Futuna
Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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