Appearance

The back of the common dolphin is black or brown-blue in color, and the belly is light. It has a stripe on its sides, the color of which changes from light yellow to gray. In general, coloring may vary depending on the region where it lives. Having different colors, the white-sided dolphin is one of the most colorful representatives of the cetacean order. Its length can reach 2.4 m, and its weight ranges from 60 to 80 kg.

Spreading

The common dolphin is found in different parts of the world's oceans, primarily in tropical and temperate latitudes. Its habitats form separate, often unconnected regions. One of the largest areas is the Mediterranean Sea with the Black Sea and the northeast Atlantic Ocean. The common dolphin is the most widespread member of its family around the European continent. Another large population lives in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In addition, they are found off the east coast of North and South America, off the coast of South Africa, around Madagascar, on the Seychelles, off the coast of Oman, around Tasmania and New Zealand, in the seas between Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Being the inhabitants open sea, white sided dolphins are only rarely found in close proximity to the shore. These animals feel most comfortable at a water temperature of 10 to 25 °C.

Behavior

Like all dolphins, the common dolphin feeds on fish, sometimes also cephalopods. It is the most toothed mammal (210 teeth). It is one of the fastest-swimming dolphin species and often accompanies ships. Like other species, it forms complex social alliances that can include more than a thousand individuals. In summer, these huge groups separate, and the dolphins continue swimming in smaller groups. Members of the same group take care of each other. Dolphins have been observed supporting wounded dolphins and carrying them to the surface so that they can take in air.

The birth of a young dolphin can take up to two hours. The tail is born first to prevent the baby from suffocating at birth. After birth, the mother carries the baby to the surface so that it can take its first breath. During childbirth, the mother animal is protected by the rest of the group from possible attacks by sharks. Twins are born extremely rarely and usually do not survive because there is not enough mother's milk. The cubs remain with their mother for about three years, of which they feed on milk for about a year.

Population and threats

In some regions of the world, common dolphins have been hunted. For example, they were hunted by Peruvian fishermen to sell their meat. Hunting was also carried out in the Black Sea. In addition, they often die in fishing nets or get caught in the propellers of ships. In the years in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, their population declined sharply. Probably the reason is overly intensive fishing, depriving dolphins of food, as well as increasing sea pollution, weakening Delphinus capensis. It has a longer stigma. Whether it is truly a separate species or simply a subspecies or variant of the same species remains a matter of debate.

In addition to Delphinus delphis delphis itself, there is a subspecies of the Black Sea common dolphin (Delphinus delphis ponticus Barabash, 1935).

Delphinus delphis ( Short-beaked Common Dolphin)

Order Cetaceans - Cetacea

Suborder Toothed whales (Odontoceti)

Dolphin family - Delphinidae

Genus Common dolphins (Delphinus)

Common short-beaked dolphin (Short-beaked Common Dolphin) - the most common species of the dolphin family. Other names: white-sided dolphin, saddleback dolphin, cross-tailed dolphin.

When asked how many species belong to the genus Delphinus, No a clear answer. Most zoologists have always recognized only one species - the common dolphin.

Since the 1990s, there has been a growing number of zoologists recognizing a second species: the long-billed common dolphin () . It has a longer stigma. Whether it is truly a separate species or simply a subspecies or variant of the same species remains a matter of debate.

general information

• Species status- common.
• Habitat- open water and coastal zone.
• Number of groups- 10-500 (1-2000).
• Dorsal fin location- in the center.
• DLina newborn- 80-90 kg.
• Adult Length- 1.7-2.4 m, males are 6-10 cm larger than females.
• Lifespan– more than 20 years.
• Nutrition- feeds on pelagic schooling fish, as well as cephalopods and rarely crustaceans.
  In the Black Sea, the favorite food is sprat and anchovy, to a lesser extent pelagic needles, haddock, red mullet, horse mackerel, mullet, mackerel.
  In other seas it eats herring, capelin, sardine, saury, mackerel, even flying fish, and occasionally cephalopods. At depth - glowing anchovy, hake, batilagus, otophidium, etc.

The common dolphin is found in different parts of the world's oceans, primarily in tropical And moderate x latitudes.

Its distribution areas form separate, often unconnected regions. One of the largest areas is the Mediterranean Sea with the Black Sea and the northeast Atlantic Ocean.

Another large population lives in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In addition, common dolphins are found off the eastern coast of North and South America, off the coast South Africa, around Madagascar, off the coast of Oman, around Tasmania and New Zealand, in the seas between Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Being inhabitants of the open sea, common dolphins are only rarely found in close proximity to the shore. These animals feel most comfortable at a water temperature of 10 to 20° C.

The common dolphin is the most common representative of his family around the European continent.

In the 1960s, their population declined sharply in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and the reasons for this decline are still unknown. Probably the reason is overly intensive fishing, depriving dolphins of food, as well as increasing sea pollution, weakening immune system dolphins.

In 2003, the Mediterranean population of common dolphins was estimated to be "threatened" and is listed in the Red Book.

Appearance

Body length 180-260 cm, weight 75-115 kg.
The physique is slender, fish-shaped. The snout is narrow.
On each half of the lower jaw 33-67, most often 40-50 cone-shaped teeth. There are 2 deep longitudinal grooves in the sky.

The long beak is sharply demarcated from the convex forehead. From the side you can see that the upper jaw is narrower than the lower jaw. Quite precisely in the middle of the back is a curved triangular dorsal fin, the end of which is slightly extended back. The pectoral fins are long and narrow. Light gray side stripes extend from the eyes, which contrast brightly with the dark back when the dolphin jumps out of the water. The pattern on the sides resembles an hourglass.

A dark stripe runs from the dark pectoral fins to the chin. Dark circles around the eyes. The caudal fin has a small notch in the middle, with a curved caudal edge and pointed ends.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The common dolphin is one of the most gregarious, playful and fast-moving cetaceans. His speed reaches 36 km/h, and when it rides a ship wave near the bow of high-speed ships, then more than 60 km/h. Jumps “candle” upward up to 5 m, and horizontally up to 9 m. Immerses for 8 minutes, but usually for a time from 10 seconds to 2 minutes.

The Black Sea common dolphin feeds in the upper layer of the sea and does not dive deeper than 60-70 m, but the ocean form catches fish living at depths of 200-250 m. When food accumulates, the common dolphin gathers in large herds, sometimes together with other species - pilot whales and short-headed dolphins.

White sideds often live in families, composed, as is believed, of the offspring of several generations of the same female. However, males and lactating females with young animals, as well as pregnant females, sometimes form separate (apparently temporary) schools. During sexual activity, mating groups of sexually mature males and females are also observed. Mutual assistance reaction has been developed.

They live up to 30 years. The sound signals of white-sided dolphins are as diverse as those of bottlenose dolphins: quacks, howls, squeaks, croaks, cat calls, but whistling predominates. There were up to 19 different signals. In this species, unusually strong calls, the meaning of which has not been determined, called “shot” (duration 1 s) and “rumble” (duration 3 s) were found to have very high sound pressure (from 30 to 160 bar) and a frequency of 21 kHz.

Like all dolphins, the common dolphin eats fish, Sometimes cephalopods and rarely crustaceans.
In the Black Sea, the favorite food is sprat and anchovy, to a lesser extent pelagic needles, haddock, red mullet, horse mackerel, mullet, mackerel. In other seas it eats herring, capelin, sardine, saury, mackerel, even flying fish, and occasionally cephalopods. At depth - glowing anchovy, hake, batilagus, otophidium, etc.

Cubs

Reproduces predominantly in summer.
Pregnancy lasts 10-11 months. The cub is fed on mother's milk for 4-5 months and becomes sexually mature no earlier than in the fourth year, with a length of 1.5-1.6 m.

The birth of a young dolphin can take up to two hours. The rear fin emerges first to prevent the baby from suffocating immediately at birth. After birth, the mother carries the baby to the surface so that it can take its first breath. During childbirth, the mother animal is protected by the rest of the group from possible shark attacks.

Twins are born extremely rarely and, as a rule, do not survive because there is not enough mother's milk.

Common dolphin and man

Treats humans peacefully, never bites, but Badly endures bondage.

In some regions of the world, common dolphins have been hunted. For example, they were hunted by Peruvian fishermen to sell their meat. Hunting for common dolphins was also carried out in the Black Sea. However, in most parts of the world, these dolphins have never been killed on purpose.

However, they are often killed in fishing nets or caught in the propellers of ships.

The squirrel's body is light-colored on the sides, which is where the animal's name comes from. This light stripe contrasts with the gray-brown or black color of the rest of the body. This coloration is not typical for most cetaceans, so the common cetacean is one of the most variegated representatives of a large family.

Despite the great popularity of bottlenose dolphins, it is the white sided dolphin that people associate with dolphins in general. When a sea vessel approaches, they approach it and swim on the crests of the waves created, making high jumps of up to 5 m.

Like all dolphins, white-sided dolphins are very friendly with each other in one pod. They help sick relatives, hunt fish together, protect young dolphins and, of course, play. To communicate, they use sound signals - clicks, squeaks and grinding sounds, similar to the opening of a rusty door. White sideds understand the “speech” of other dolphins - bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales. To do this, these animals have 5 sounds of different frequencies, timbres and tonality at their disposal.

In winter, bobwhites gather in large flocks, the number of individuals in which reaches several thousand. By summer, such aggregations of animals break up, and the dolphins disperse into small groups. In such families, the connection between family members is very close, and the behavior of dolphins in it, for many people, is an example of the “humanity” of white sideds.

It has been observed that animals help old individuals stay on the surface of the water so that they continue to breathe. When young dolphins are in a family, adults do their best to protect them from attack natural enemies- large sharks and killer whales.

Like small children, white sideds do not miss the chance to frolic with any object that arouses their curiosity - a passing sea vessel or a passing whale. In general, large whales act as a “ride” for the dolphin, like ships. From the swing of a powerful tail large whale creates sharp currents of water in which dolphins frolic.

It is worth noting that the playfulness of dolphins in people's minds is depicted exclusively in light colors. Watching how they chase a ball, give people rides and perform beautiful somersaults, you forget that a blow from an adult dolphin’s muzzle can be very strong.

In nature, not a single case of an attack or attack on a person has been recorded, but if an animal wants to play, it will not weaken the force of the blow, pushing the object of the game to the surface. If a school of dolphins chooses a simple diver as a soccer ball, then he will be in trouble, despite the fact that the animals do not even try to injure him. A documented case was recorded when a school of dolphins (though they were bottlenose dolphins) “played” with a diver so much that, thank God, he survived.

These Marine life belong to the subfamily of mammals, the order of cetaceans, and the dolphin family. Their body length ranges from 1.2 to 3 meters, in some species it reaches 10 m. Almost all types of dolphins have a fin on their back. As well as a muzzle elongated into a “beak” and a huge number of teeth (more than 70). Dolphins navigate in the sea using echolocation. Animals have very fine hearing - they can hear sound vibrations from several tens of Hz to 200 kHz. Dolphins are endowed with complex vocal signaling and a sound signaling, echolocation organ located in the nostril (the only one). Associated with it are six air sacs that have a system of muscles. The frequency of the emitted signals is about 170 kHz.

It is necessary to say about the highly developed central nervous system these animals are the brain big size, spherical, its cerebral hemispheres have numerous convolutions (the dolphin's cerebral cortex has 30 billion nerve cells). Such brain sizes allow dolphins to process a large number of incoming information: they can, like parrots, copy the words that a person pronounces. The hydrodynamic shape of the body, anti-turbulent properties and structure of the skin, the hydroelastic effect (adjustable) in the fins, the unique ability to dive to great depths and many other features of dolphins have been of interest to bionics supporters for decades.

The common dolphin is the common dolphin. These are the most social animals of their family. They cannot imagine their life alone. A school of dolphins in some cases reaches two thousand individuals. Whitetails create families consisting of several generations of offspring of the same female. Nursing females with young animals and males sometimes form separate, often temporary schools. These are the fastest sea animals, reaching speeds of up to 60 km/h. Which is easy enough to explain. The common dolphin is a small dolphin. The length of its body does not exceed one meter. Not even a shark can keep up with them.

Habitat It is generally accepted that this dolphin is a Black Sea dolphin, although it lives in almost all seas and oceans with temperate or warm waters. According to scientists, the white sided whale, which lives in the Black Sea, is the standard of “dolphin beauty.”

External features This animal has a proportional, slender body. On the sides there is a rather complex pattern - a horizontal figure eight on a white background, which gives the species its name. Color: black and white, as well as various shades of gray.
Behavior in nature Squirrels are very friendly animals in one flock. They take good care of their sick brethren, hunt fish together, and protect and protect young dolphins. Communication in a pack occurs with the help sound signals– clicks, squeaks and grinding sounds. Unlike the bottlenose dolphin, the white sided dolphin uses 5 sounds of different frequencies, tonality and timbre. In winter, dolphins gather in large schools, reaching several thousand individuals. By summer they usually break up, and white drums form small groups. In such families there is a very close connection between all its members. Cases have been recorded of these dolphins helping old animals float on the surface of the water so they could breathe.

In temperate and tropical latitudes of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans such a representative of the dolphin family as the white-sided dolphin lives. It is also called the common dolphin. This species is also found in Indian Ocean, but it is relatively rare there. But in the Mediterranean and Caribbean seas it is common. Swims into the Black and Red Seas and loves the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes it ends up in Norwegian waters and even swims to the Arctic. Prefers open waters, and it turns out to be near the shore only from time to time.

Description

The length of representatives of the species varies from 1.6 to 2.4 meters. Weight is 70-100 kg. Some individuals weigh up to 136 kg. Males are longer and heavier than females. The back color can be black or blue-brown. The belly is light. On the sides there is a stripe with heterogeneous colors. At the beginning of the body, its color can be light gray, yellow or golden, and at the end it is dirty gray. The color of the body greatly depends on the specific region of habitat. Young dolphins have paler colors than adults.

Reproduction and lifespan

Males and females reach sexual maturity at the age of 12-15 years. Pregnancy lasts 10-12 months. One cub is born with a body length of 70-90 cm and a weight of about 10 kg. The female immediately raises it to the surface of the water so that the baby takes its first breath. Milk feeding lasts about a year. At 3 years old, a young dolphin becomes independent. In the sea, the common dolphin lives up to 35 years.

Behavior and nutrition

Representatives of the species live in large groups, which can number hundreds or even thousands of individuals. But such large groups are not a single whole. They consist of smaller groups with stable social ties. In these small groups, everyone knows each other and represents a single family.

Common dolphins swim quickly. They reach speeds of up to 60 km/h. Therefore, they often accompany high-speed ships. The diet is quite varied. It consists of many types of fish, squid and octopus. All this marine life is obtained at a depth of less than 200 meters. Fish include herring, sardines, anchovies, hake, and Atlantic mackerel. A dolphin eats about 10 kg of fish per day.

It should be said that different populations of common dolphins have different statuses. Thus, the Mediterranean population is characterized as endangered. It is currently protected by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. This convention also applies to other representatives of the species living in the Atlantic. In addition, countries are guided by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and the Northern Seas.

There is also a Memorandum on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans. They are used in Malaysian and West African waters. So in the 21st century, representatives of the species are protected by legislative acts on all sides, and individual problems with numbers should soon disappear.