Spinner dolphins are the acrobats of the ocean. They love to jump, flip, and twist above the surface of the water. Spinner dolphins earned their name because of their ability to spin multiple times in one jump. Scientists believe they spin for several reasons, including communication, removing parasites, and simply for the fun of it. Spinner dolphins are about 6.5 feet long with a long, thin snout. They have white bellies and dark gray backs.
Spinner dolphins are carnivores. They eat fish and squid. At night, spinner dolphins travel to deeper water to eat. In the morning, they move back to shallow water to rest, play, and watch for predators such as sharks. Spinner dolphins don’t mind traveling and feeding with other species, including humpback whales, tunas, and other dolphins.
Spinner dolphins live in all tropical and most subtropical waters around the world across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The most common subspecies is called Gray’s spinner and is found throughout the spinner’s tropical and subtropical range except in parts of tropical Asia and Eastern Tropical Pacific.