Common Dolphin

Fascinating facts about the Common Dolphin

• A common dolphin's brain is six times larger than a human's relative to body size — yet they use it for something we can barely fathom: they echolocate by bouncing clicks off prey at 1,200 times per second, creating a sonar image sharper than any ultrasound machine. They can 'see' a fish the width of a human hair from 100 metres away in total darkness, then coordinate with dozens of pod-mates to hunt using clicks that sound like machine-gun fire.
• Common dolphins live in groups of 10 to 30, but sometimes those pods merge into superpods of over 1,000 individuals — and when they do, the ocean churns. They herd fish into tightly packed balls, then take turns ploughing through for an easy meal. A single coordinated hunt can trap thousands of fish in a space smaller than a football field.
• They whistle to each other with such complexity that researchers believe each dolphin has a signature whistle — a name only it recognises. When separated by distance or darkness, they call to each other in the Mediterranean and Caribbean with distinct regional 'dialects', as different from each other as English is from Mandarin.
• A common dolphin's skeleton is almost entirely cartilage, like a shark's, which lets them twist and compress their spine to angles that would shatter a human spine. In a single second they can pivot 180 degrees, accelerate from 0 to 30 km/h, or dive from the surface to 280 metres — the speed and flexibility of a living origami.
• Every three years, a female common dolphin gives birth to a single calf after nine months of pregnancy, then nurses it for up to three years — making childhood in a pod an extended apprenticeship. Mothers teach calves how to hunt, which fish to avoid, and which whales and sharks are dangerous. Orphaned dolphins adopted by unrelated females suggest they mourn, learn through loss, and form bonds beyond blood.

At a glance

About the Common Dolphin

In the sun-drenched waters of the open ocean, the common dolphin dances with effortless elegance, its sleek, grey form slicing through the waves with a fluidity that belies its remarkable agility. As it moves, its dorsal fin slices the surface, leaving behind a trail of shimmering, turbulent water that marks its passage through the marine landscape. With a curious, social nature that draws it to the company of others, the common dolphin weaves a complex, underwater tapestry of interaction and play.

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