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| Ecology and Behavior |
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Habit:Shelf/Slope
Small to moderate groups, generally of less than 50 individuals, are characteristic of the Atlantic spotted dolphin. Coastal groups usually consist of 5-15 animals. These are acrobatic animals and they are known to be avid bowriders. Studies of Atlantic spotted dolphins off the Bahamas, which allow people to swim with them, show that these animals have a fluid group structure, like that of bottlenose and other small dolphins. There is not much known of the species' life history, but tropical populations would be expected to have a protracted breeding season. |
| Threats and Status |
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Main threats:
Fisheries bycatch
Conservation status:
The IUCN lists this species is data deficient, in that too little is known to evaluate its conservation status. The U.S. government does not list the Atlantic spotted dolphin as threatened or endangered. Incidental catches in fisheries are known for several areas of the range (Brazil, the Caribbean, off the east coast of the United States, and in Mauritania). No direct killing is known, other than occasional catches in the Caribbean dolphin fisheries. Based on two 1998 surveys, NMFS estimated the population of all spotted dolphins in the western North Atlantic (including S. frontalis and S. attenuata) to be 52,279 (CV=0.87). Data from surveys between 1991 and 1994 was used to estimate the northern Gulf of Mexico Stock at 32,123 (CV=0.44), although NMFS considers this an underestimate due to survey limitations.
For current information on the conservation status of this species, please consult the following websites.
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| References |
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Herzing, D.L. 1997. The life history of free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) Age classes, color phases, and female reproduction. Marine Mammal Science13576-595.
Perrin, W.F. 2002. Stenella frontalis. Mammalian Species 702:1-6.
Perrin, W.F. 2002. Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis. Pp. 49-51 in W.F. Perrin, B. Würsig and J.G.M. Thewissen, eds. Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Academic Press.
Perrin, W.F., et al. 1987. Revision of the spotted dolphins, Stenella spp. Marine Mammal Science 3:99-170.
Perrin, W.F., D.K. Caldwell, and M.C. Caldwell. 1994. Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829). Pp. 173-190 in S.H. Ridgway and R. Harrison, eds. Handbook of marine mammals, Volume 5 The first book of dolphins. Academic Press.
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| Species Illustrations |
Image credit: Kim Urian |
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