| Short-beaked saddleback dolphins are found in tropical and temperate ocean waters and in some seas. School of fewer than ten - and of several thousand - have been reported. They eat both squid and fish. Calves, which are less than a meter long at birth, are usually born in the spring and summer after a gestation that is thought to last 10-11 months. In most members of the family Delphinidae - the dolphins - calves begin to eat solid food at about 4-6 months, but may continue to nurse as long as two years. The Delphinidae is a very large and diverse family of cetaceans, however, and much remains to be learned about the life styles of its members.
Also known as:
Common Dolphin
Sexual Dimorphism:
Males are 5% larger than females.
Length:
Range:
1.7-2.2 m males; 1.6-2.2 m females
Weight:
Range:
up to 110 kg
References:
Linnaeus, C., 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classis, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tenth Edition, Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm, 1:77, 824 pp.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
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