New York mammals

Common Dolphin in New York

Delphinus delphis

Native to New York S4 Apparently Secure in New York

Not listed as nonindigenous in New York by USGS NAS; native to its New York range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Small group of common dolphins surfacing in choppy water, pale hourglass flank patch visibleDelphinus delphis with calfCommon Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0Small group of common dolphins surfacing in choppy water, pale hourglass flank patch visiblePhoto: Jessica Redfern (according to photo caption) · Public domainDelphinus delphis with calfPhoto: Gavin Skeen · CC BY 4.0Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)Photo: Mathew Robinson · CC0Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Common Dolphin in New York, by the numbers

Occasional in New York 66th most recorded of 102 mammals logged in New York

69 occurrence records
24 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 8, 2026 Last seen in New York

Records from 2000–2026.

69 total records count every New York occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 68 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Common Dolphin in New York

Most sightings fall in December to February.

68 New York occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly New York records (table)
MonthRecords
January14
February15
March5
April4
May1
June4
July6
August3
September0
October3
November4
December9

Monthly common dolphin occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in New York, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in New York, with recorded sightings peaking in December–February.

Occurrence map

Where Common Dolphin has been recorded in New York

69 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

48 New York records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Fire Island National Seashore 3
Napeague State Park 1
Gateway National Recreation Area 1
Jones Beach State Park 1

Protected places with the most common dolphin sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in New York

CountyRecords
Suffolk County 27
New York County 8
Kings County 4
Nassau County 2
Queens County 2
Westchester County 1
Other localities 25

The complete county distribution, spread across 6 New York counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Common dolphins carry a NatureServe S4 apparently secure rank in New York’s offshore waters, and the record leans toward GBIF (59 of 69 records), suggesting stranding networks and survey data, not casual shore sightings, document most of what’s known about this pelagic species here.

January and February together account for 29 of the 69 records, more than 40 percent of the total, a winter concentration that likely tracks this species’ seasonal movement closer to New York’s continental shelf waters; September shows zero records, the year’s quietest month.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Small group of common dolphins surfacing in choppy water, pale hourglass flank patch visible
Full species profile Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis Size 1.6–2.6 m5.2–8.5 ft Weight 70–110 kg154.3–242.5 lb Lifespan Up to 25 yr View the full profile

More mammals in New York in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"