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COMMON DOLPHIN

SCIENTIFIC NAME - Delphinus delphis from the greek delphis + suffix -inos, dolphin.
FAMILY - Delphinidae
DIMENSIONS - Medium lenght 2 mt, maximum 2,6 mt, maximum weight 136 Kg.
ASPECT - Streamlined Body; small melon but very visible, rostrum long and thin; high and arcuated dorsal fin; fins small and thin chest straps leggermente incurvate; tail and caudal peduncle thin.
SKIN and COLORATION - Back dark or black gray, caparison dark gray with clearly passage to toracic zone grey tail cream and (the intersection of these colors creates very distinguished dark triangle with the apex towards the bottom), dark lines from side mouth to genital zone and chest strap jaw, abdomen white; also the head can have the triple dark coloration over cream to sides and white under. Dark jaws sometimes with two clear strips; dark fins not the dorsal that sometimes has a clearer shading.
LONGEVITY - It's believed 20 years.
REPRODUCTION - Reproductive season in spring-autumn, gestation of approximately 10 months. To the birth the puppy measure approximately 80 cm.
TEETH - Conical small, until 2,5 mm of diameter.
BREATH - Little visible.  

SOUNDS - Three types of emissions: 

1° click, used emissions of short duration for the biosonar. 

2° modulated whistle. 

3° sounds to impulses. 

The emissions of the number 2 and 3 constitute the dictionary of the common dolphin, used in order to communicate. 

FEEDING - The diet of the common Dolphin is composed mostly from fish (herrings sardine etc.) but also from cefalopodi (small cuttlefishes squids etc.) (Vd. Feeding).
HABITAT - Pelagic cetacean but sometimes also coastal (like the Bottlenose dophin), mostly loves tropical waters, moderated.
SWIM - It's a very agile cetacen, knows to be very fast 65 Km/h (35 nodes). Able of good immersions (-300 m).
JUMPS - They Carry out many spectacular jumps also high three times the length of their body, think that between the several functions (also of communication) they serve, if made during the swim, in order to increase the efficiency of the swim.
MIGRATIONS - Some groups make small movements more than migrations, others are permanent (for ex. in the Mediterranean).  
SOCIALITY - There aren't studies about that but it's known that forms groups in average of 12-24 individuals but sometimes exist supergroups (300.000 individuals), are known even if as said little studied the strong social tie. Often in the Mediterranean cohabits with striped dolphin and bottlenose dolphin.
TEMPERAMENT - Intelligent and not very much confiding with the man above all if dipped, often lets to transport by the wave of prow of the boats.
DANGER and PREDATORY - The great sharks can attack therefore like the killer whale, victim also of pelagic fishing-net and of the pollution. Sometimes subject to individual beachings but the collectives are rarest.
SPECIES DIFFUSION - Do not exist esteem, it's probably the more abundant cetacean of the world. In the Mediterranean present everywhere with prevalence to the West, but in quick decrease (perhaps also for identification errors that in past recognized Dolphins in place of striped dolphins).
 
 
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