The Delphinoidea Family

The Dolphins

The Dolphin is the largest and most diverse family of cetaceans. It contains 26 recognised species and 6 toothed whales. Most forms of this family have functional teeth in both jaws, a melon with a distinct beak, smooth sloping foreheads, a single notch in the middle of their flukes and a dorsal fin. Of the 26 species of dolphin 13 tend to have long, well-defined beaks and streamlined slightly robust bodies. The remainder vary greatly in colour and patterns, the shape of their bodies, beaks and flippers, and dorsal fins. They do have similar short indistinct beaks and fairly robust bodies.

Tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis
Short-snouted Spinner Dolphin Stenella clymene
Long-snouted Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris
Atlantic Hump-backed Dolphin Sousa teuszii
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella frontalis
Southern Rightwhale Dolphin Lissodelphis peronii

Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis
Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis
Indo-Pacific Hump-backed Dolphin Sousa chinensis
Northern Rightwhale Dolphin Lissodelphis borealis
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus

Commerson's Dolphin Cephalorhynchus commersonii
Hector's Dolphin Cephalorhynchus hoctori
Heaviside's Dolphin Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
Black Dolphin Cephalorhynchus eutropia

Hourglass Dolphin Lagenorhynchus cruciger
Dusky Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus
Peale's Dolphin Lagenorhynchus australis
Pacific White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens

Atlantic White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus
Fraser's Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei
Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella brevirostris
White-beaked Dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris

Risso's Dolphin Grampus griseus

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