Spinner Dolphin

Stenella longirostris

Also known as: Spinning Dolphin, Pantropical Spinner Dolphin, Long-snouted Dolphin, Long-beaked Dolphin

LCLeast Concern

Photo: Liisa Havukainen · CC BY-SA 3.0Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirotris)Photo: Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 3.0Spinner dolphin swimming just below the surface in clear turquoise water, curved dorsal fin visiblePhoto: Alexia Pihier for MDC SeaMarc Maldives · CC BY-SA 4.0Spinner dolphin leaping clear of calm water with a trailing splashPhoto: Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0Group of spinner dolphins swimming underwater in a loose pod with sunbeams overheadPhoto: Stephen Matthews · CC0Spinner dolphin mid-air during a leap over calm water with a hazy coastline behind

Photo: Liisa Havukainen · CC BY-SA 3.0Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirotris)Photo: Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 3.0Spinner dolphin swimming just below the surface in clear turquoise water, curved dorsal fin visiblePhoto: Alexia Pihier for MDC SeaMarc Maldives · CC BY-SA 4.0Spinner dolphin leaping clear of calm water with a trailing splashPhoto: Kris Mikael Krister · CC BY 3.0Group of spinner dolphins swimming underwater in a loose pod with sunbeams overheadPhoto: Stephen Matthews · CC0Spinner dolphin mid-air during a leap over calm water with a hazy coastline behind

Spinner Dolphin is a slender tropical dolphin famous for twisting leaps. It often feeds offshore at night and rests in sheltered daytime groups. United States records center on Hawaii and warm seas, where resting bays and offshore feeding grounds form one connected daily range. National occurrence records reveal where and when people have documented it, but they don't measure abundance or prove that an unreported area is empty.

US Range

Explore by state

Spinner Dolphin across 3 states

Occurrence records, conservation status, and the places it turns up, state by state. Open a state for detail, or visit its full page.

HawaiiNativeCommon970 records
State rankUnranked
Notable placesKaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park · Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park · Na Pali Coast State Park · Kaena Point State Park
Countiesrecorded in 4
Year-round in Hawaii, with no strong seasonal peak in observations.
Full Hawaii page →All Hawaii mammals →
North CarolinaNativeOccasional22 records
State rankNot Applicable
Countiesrecorded in 2
Year-round in North Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in December.
Full North Carolina page →All North Carolina mammals →
FloridaNativeOccasional20 records
Countiesrecorded in 8
Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in July.
Full Florida page →All Florida mammals →

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Elevation

From 200 georeferenced records, the Spinner Dolphin is recorded from sea levelsea level to 3,286 m10,781 ft, with half of sightings below sea levelsea level.

3,000–3,300 m9,843–10,827 ft

2,700–3,000 m8,858–9,843 ft

2,400–2,700 m7,874–8,858 ft

2,100–2,400 m6,890–7,874 ft

1,800–2,100 m5,906–6,890 ft

1,500–1,800 m4,921–5,906 ft

1,200–1,500 m3,937–4,921 ft

900–1,200 m2,953–3,937 ft

600–900 m1,969–2,953 ft

300–600 m984–1,969 ft

0–300 m0–984 ft

Each band shows the share of georeferenced sightings that fall within it. Records cluster where people live and hike, so low, populated elevations are over-represented. Read this as observation density, not true abundance.

Best encounter

Where and when to see a Spinner Dolphin

Your best chance: Hawaii.

Where: HawaiiHI

Trophic relationshipsFood web What a Spinner Dolphin eats, and what eats it.

Eaten by1

OrcaOrcinus orca

This speciesSpinner Dolphin

Atlantic LanternfishDiogenichthys atlanticusGlassy Flying SquidHyaloteuthis pelagicaRough Cranch SquidCranchia scabraGolden LanternfishMyctophum aurolaternatumCommon Clubhook SquidOnychoteuthis banksiiFirefly LanternfishHygophum proximumBlack SpinyfinDiretmichthys pariniLuminous LanternfishLampadena luminosa

Eats8

A sample of documented feeding relationships, filtered to species that also occur in the US. Diet and predators vary by region and season, and this is not a complete list, many animals eat, and are eaten by, more than what has been formally recorded here.

Life history

The Spinner Dolphin (72.7 kg160.2 lb) is a carnivore that first breeds around 5.3 years, carries a 317-day gestation, and bears about 1 young per litter. Maximum recorded longevity is 29 years.

Life cycle

Gestation317 days (≈10.4 months)
Birthlitter of 1 young
Sexual maturity5.3 yr (female) · 10 yr (male)
Typical lifespan29 years
Maximum recorded longevity29 years

Reproduction

Gestation: 317days≈10.4 months
Litter size: 1youngaverage
Litters / year: 0.42littersabout one every 2.4 years
Age at first breeding: 5.3years♀ 5.3 · ♂ 10 yr

Diet composition

Carnivore

By foraging composition: 60% invertebrates, 40% fish.

60%

40%

Invertebrates60%
Fish40%

Most active around the clock.

Typical values for the species, not local measurements. Maximum longevity is the longest lifespan on record; most individuals live far less.

Commonly confused with

Animals people sometimes mistake for the spinner dolphin, and how to tell them apart.

Photo:Marilia OlioWikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Pantropical spotted dolphin

Stenella attenuata

How to tell apart Adult pantropical spotted dolphin has pale freckles over a sharply defined dark cape; spinner dolphin has a clean three-tone gray pattern without spots.

View species page Compare side by side

Photo:NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science CenterWikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Atlantic spotted dolphin

Stenella frontalis

How to tell apart Adult Atlantic spotted dolphin develops pale spots across its dark back; spinner dolphin remains unspotted with a clean dark-gray, light-gray, and white pattern.

View species page Compare side by side

Photo:Keith Mullin (NOAA)Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Clymene dolphin

Stenella clymene

How to tell apart Clymene dolphin has a shorter beak with a distinct dark line along it; spinner dolphin has a longer, more slender beak without that dark lip line.

View species page Compare side by side

How to recognize the Spinner Dolphin

Spinner Dolphin is a slender tropical dolphin famous for twisting leaps. Field identification still depends on the whole animal, its behavior, and location because a quick glimpse can hide useful features.

Spinner Dolphin behavior and habitat

It often feeds offshore at night and rests in sheltered daytime groups. Habitat must connect feeding areas with secure places to rest, shelter, or raise young. That link explains why a broad outline can contain large areas the species doesn’t regularly use.

Understanding the United States record

United States records center on Hawaii and warm seas, where resting bays and offshore feeding grounds form one connected daily range. Reports depend on access, survey methods, and correct identification. A cluster doesn’t measure population size, and a blank area doesn’t prove absence. Repeated surveys are needed to separate real biological change from changes in reporting.

Conservation in context

Wide-ranging species can face very different pressures across their distribution. Protecting feeding habitat, travel routes, and undisturbed shelter addresses the parts of the landscape they actually need. Global conservation categories don’t replace local monitoring.

Sources

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
PhyloPicCC0 / CC-BY per itemthe to-scale silhouettesAndrew A. Farke (human silhouette, CC-BY 3.0)
AnAge (HAGR)CC-BY 3.0longevity, maturity, and gestation figures
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI)CC0 · public domainthe food web
Amniote Life-History DatabaseCC0 · public domainreproduction figures
EltonTraitsCC0 · public domaindiet and foraging-activity data