Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
The Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which it rotates around its longitudinal axis as it leaps through the air. It is a member of the family Delphinidae of toothed whales.
The spinner dolphin is sometimes referred to as the long-snouted dolphin, particularly in older texts, to distinguish it from the similar Clymene dolphin, which is often called the short-snouted spinner dolphin. The species was described by John Gray in 1828. The four named subspecies are:
Eastern spinner dolphin (S. l. orientalis), from the tropical eastern Pacific.
Central American or Costa Rican spinner dolphin (S. l. centroamericana), also found in the tropical eastern Pacific - this is the species above! Seen in Sea of Cortez, Baja Mexico.
Gray's or Hawaiian spinner dolphin (S. l. longirostris), from the central Pacific Ocean around Hawaii but represents a mixture of broadly similar subtypes found worldwide.
Dwarf spinner dolphin (S. l. roseiventris), first found in the Gulf of Thailand.
The species, though, displays greater variety than these subspecies might indicate. A hybrid form characterized by its white belly inhabits the eastern Pacific. Other less distinct groupings inhabit other oceans.
