Gibraltar Dolphin Trips with Dolphin Adventure: About the Common Dolphins

Common Dolphin

Recognized by the hourglass pattern on its side (as opposed to the strong black stripes of the Striped Dolphin and the much larger form of the Bottlenose) the Common Dolphin are highly social and outgoing animals. They can dive to depths of more than 240 metres and are amongst the fastest and highest jumping of the dolphins.

On average they reach lengths of 1.7 - 2.6 metres and can weigh in at 70 - 135 kilos, with an estimated life span in the wild of 35  - 40 years.

These dolphins normally travel at speeds of 8 - 12 kmph although they can reach speeds of up to 50 kmph when hunting for food. They have many small teeth, which are very sharp and interlocking, allowing them to grip slippery fish easily.

Individual dolphins can eat as much as 12 kilos of fish per day, with their diet being predominantly anchovies, small herrings, pilchards, sardines, and small bonito as well as octopus and squid.

They are known to use team tactics to catch their prey, with hunting dolphins driving the shoals of fish towards the surface from below. We have even seen them catching fish in mid air!