Stenella coeruleoalba
Striped dolphin
Length: 1.0m/3.3ft (newborn); 1.95-2.4m/6.4-7.9ft (adult).
Head and Beak: Striped dolphins have a tapering forehead with a distinct groove separating black beak of intermediate length.
Fin and Markings: The striped dolphin’s centrally placed slender dorsal fin, is sickle-shaped or erect. Distinctive white or light grey V-shaped from above and behind eye with one finger narrowing to point below fin, and lower one extending towards tail; two black lines extending from eye backwards along flank.
Striped dolphin
ID: Striped dolphins are usually animated; they often breach and bow-ride. Grey blaze and two black stripes.
Striped dolphin distribution map
Status and Distribution: Common in the Mediterranean and off the Atlantic seaboard of France and the Iberian Peninsula. Rare off the Atlantic coasts of Britain and Ireland north to Scotland. Striped dolphins are recorded in all months of the year, but in coastal UK waters, mainly between July and December.
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