Dolphin Tales: Spinner dolphin
The spinner dolphin is quite an interesting species of dolphin. It is a member of the family Delphinidae of toothed whales as is our bottlenose dolphin. Spinners are found in off-shore tropical waters around the world across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. It is estimated that the northern panhandle of Florida is home to up to 11,000 spinner dolphins.
Spinners are much smaller than our local bottlenose dolphin weighing in at only about 170 pounds and reaching lengths of 7 feet. Our common bottlenose dolphin can weigh from 300 to 1,400 pounds and can reach lengths of 6 to 13 feet. The spinners are slender, with thin, recurved flippers and dorsal fins that usually range from slightly curved to erect and triangular.
The lifespan of the spinner dolphin is only 20 years while the bottlenose can live to be 40 to 60 years old.
What makes the spinners so unique is that they are even more skilled acrobats than our local bottlenose dolphins. They leap out of the water and perform very complicated aerial moves. They can spin multiple times and in one leap, can reach heights of 10 feet. This is how they earned their name. Scientists believe they spin for a number of reasons, including communication, removing parasites from their skin and just simply having fun similar to our bottlenose dolphins.
Spinners do have predators such as killer whales and large sharks. Unlike bottlenose dolphins, spinners travel in schools that can range into hundreds of dolphins. Thankfully, there is safety in numbers. They will sometimes travel with other species such a humpback whales, tuna and other dolphins.
The spinner dolphin’s diet is very similar to our bottlenose dolphin’s diet. They are carnivores and eat a variety of small fish, shrimp and squid.
Spinners generally have a daytime and nighttime routine. During the day, they rest in shallower waters socializing and tending to their young. At night, they head for deeper waters to hunt.
Their favorite spinning time appears to be in the late afternoon and early evening after they are rested and before they head out to deeper waters.
Captain Cathy Eagle has spent over 40 years boating on our local waters. As a professional charter captain, she specializes in dolphin and nature tours. Visit CaptainCathy.com or call /text 239 994-2572. Welcome aboard!