Spinner Dolphin: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Sea Mammals · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. It lives up to its name: in a single leap, a spinner dolphin can twist round two to seven times before splashing down on its side.
2. Why spin? Experts think it may send signals to other dolphins, or help shake off hitchhikers such as remoras.
3. In places like Hawaii, the pod rests by day in calm bays for four to five hours, cruising slowly together and using eyesight instead of sonar.
4. Off Oahu, in Hawaii, they hunt at night as a team: they circle a school of prey, then a pair darts through the middle to grab a meal.
5. Mothers and calves share a strong bond. A mother nurses her young for one to two years.

The quiz

1. How many spins can a spinner dolphin make in one leap?

• Only half a turn
• Two to seven (correct)
• About 50
• Exactly one

It can make two to seven spins in a single leap.

2. Which is one possible reason spinner dolphins spin?

• To dry their skin
• To dig in the sand
• To shake off remoras (correct)
• To fall asleep

Spinning may help remove hitchhikers such as remoras.

3. What do they rely on while resting in the bays?

• Their sense of smell
• Their eyesight (correct)
• Echolocation clicks
• Their whiskers

During rest they rely on vision rather than echolocation.

4. How do spinner dolphins off Oahu catch their prey at night?

• They circle the prey, then a pair swims through (correct)
• Each hunts alone on the seabed
• They wait for fishing boats
• They stun fish with loud songs

They ring the prey, and two dolphins dart through the circle to catch it.

5. How long does a mother spinner dolphin nurse her young?

• 2 weeks
• 5 days
• 10 years
• One to two years (correct)

A calf drinks its mother's milk for one to two years.

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