The Spotted Dolphins
During our sea trips in the last few weeks we have seen a species of dolphin that is not always present in our waters. These are called Spotted DolphinsStenella frontalisand have a preference for warmer waters.
Striped Dolphins (Stenella frontalis)
These dolphins can reach up to 2.30 meters in length and up to 140 kg. They are mostly gray in color, with a big difference between the young, the juveniles and the adults. As they grow, they gain the spots that give them the name of spotted dolphins: the older they are, the more spots they have (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Color difference between cubs, juveniles and adults. Image taken from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128043271000509
As they have teeth, they feed mainly on fish, small squid and small invertebrates, such as Common Dolphins.Delphinus delphis).
These dolphins are found in the Atlantic Ocean, from Brazil to the United States of America (Figure 2). We start to see them in our waters when the water starts to get warmer. This is why we say that when we saw them for the first time, summer arrived!
Figure 2. Distribution of this species (Stenella frontalis). Image taken from: http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=20732
