| Spinner Dolphin | Saddleback Dolphin |
|---|---|
| COLORATION | |
| Dark gray on back; tan oryellowish tan on sides; whiteon belly; lacks crisscrosspattern on sides; distinctblack stripe from flipper toeye. | Dark gray to brownish grayon back; white on belly withcrisscross or hourglass patternof tan to yellow on sides;distinct black stripe fromflipper to middle of lowerjaw. |
Spinner dolphins might also be confused with bridled dolphins, but may be distinguished by the differences summarized on p. [108].
Distribution
Spinner dolphins are distributed in oceanic and coastal tropical waters. Though one specimen was collected from South Carolina, they have been more frequently reported from both coasts of Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the West Indies. They have also been reported from Venezuela. They are said to be the most abundant dolphin species from the southeastern Caribbean. Some Pacific spinner dolphins are distributed in oceanic zones. Atlantic spinners may be abundant in offshore tropical waters as well.
Stranded Specimens
Stranded spinner dolphins are most readily identified by the extremely long rostrum and the 46-65 teeth, far more than any other species of dolphin. Note that the striped dolphins may have from 43 to 50 teeth per side in each jaw. However, striped dolphins are decidedly larger (to about 9 feet [2.7 m]), have a shorter beak, and are distinctly marked with dark stripes from the eye to the flipper, from the eye to the anus, and from the area behind the dorsal fin forward, towards but not reaching the head.
Saddleback dolphins also have from 40 to 50 teeth on each side but are also easily distinguishable by the differences in coloration discussed above for living animals at sea.
