Common Dolphin

• Irish name: An Deilf Choiteann
• Latin name: Delphinus delphis
• Size: 1.5 – 2.7 m
• Diet: Horse Mackerel, sauries, herring, lantern fish and squid

DESCRIPTION:

A small, sleek dolphin with an obvious narrow beak and a falcate dorsal fin. Its sides are coloured with a diagnostic “hourglass” pattern that is yellow near the head and grey towards the tail. It is dark grey above from the head to the dorsal fin and its underside is pale.

BEHAVIOUR:

Breaching regularly takes place along with side slaps. They will regularly bow ride boats and large whales. They move quickly while travelling and corral fish into “bait balls” at the surface while feeding.

IN IRELAND:

Common dolphins are one of the most frequently sighted cetacean in Irish waters. While the south coast remains a hotspot for this species, there has been a notable northwards shift in sightings.

They are by far the most frequently stranded cetacean in Ireland, with the IWDG identifiying several stranding hotspots along the coast.  Since 2011 a near continious and drastic increase of strandings has been noted. In the early 2010’s strandings averaged at 20 – 40 annually however in the early 2020s this has risen to 150 – 240. The cause of this increased mortality is currently unknown.