Species Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758

Museums

Regional Maps

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Hershkovitz, P. 1966. Catalog of living whales. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 246: viii 1-259 [42] (for synonyms based on non-Australian material)

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Tropical and temperate circumglobal.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Timor Transition (1), Tasmania Province (10), Southeast Transition (11), Central Eastern Province (12), Tasman Basin Province (13), Lord Howe Province (14), Central Eastern Transition (15), Kenn Transition (16), Kenn Province (17), Northeast Province (18), Northeast Transition (19), Timor Province (2), Cape Province (20), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Northwest Transition (3), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Transition (5), Central Western Province (6), Southwest Transition (7), Southern Province (8), West Tasmania Transition (9)

Ecological Descriptors

Gregarious, oceanic, pelagic, piscivore, predator.

Extra Ecological Information

Diet also includes cephalopods.

 

General References

Aitken, P.F. 1971. Whales from the coast of South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 95: 95-103

Bannister, J.L., Kemper, C.M. & Warneke, R.M. 1996. The Action Plan for Australian Cetaceans. Canberra : Australian Nature Conservation Agency 242 pp.

Bell, C.H., Kemper, C.M. & Conran, J.G. 2002. Common dolphins Delphins delphis in southern Australia: a morphometric study. Australian Mammalogy 24: 1-10

Bryden, M.M. 1978. Whales and whaling in Queensland waters. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 89: v-xviii

Evans, W.E. 1994. Common dolphin, white-bellied porpoise — Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758. pp. 191-224 in Ridgway, S.H. & Harrison, R.J. (eds). Handbook of Marine Mammals. Volume 5. The first book of dolphins. London : Academic Press.

Gaskin, D.E. 1972. Whales, Dolphins and Seals, with Special Reference to the New Zealand Region. London : Heinemann 200 pp.

Guiler, E.R. 1978. Whale strandings in Tasmania since 1945 with notes on some seal reports. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 112: 189-213

Kemper, C., Gibbs, P., Obendorf, D., Marvanek, S. & Lenghaus, C. 1994. A review of heavy metal and organochlorine levels in marine mammals in Australia. Science and the Total Environment 154: 129-139

Leatherwood, S. & Reeves, R.R. 1983. The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. San Francisco : Sierra Club Books xviii 302 pp.

Long, M., Reid, R.J. & Kemper, C.M. 1997. Cadmium accumulation and toxicity in the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis and some dolphin prey species in South Australia. Australian Mammalogy 20: 25-34

Perrin, W.F. 2002. Common dolphins Delphinus delphis, D. capensis and D. tropicalis. pp. 245-248 in Perrin, W.F., Wursig, B. & Thewissen, J.G.M. (eds). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. San Diego : Academic Press.

Pirzi, R. & Anderson, G.R.V. 1997. Australia. Progress report on cetacean research, May 1995 to May 1996. In, Anon. (ed.). Forty-seventh Report of the International Whaling Commission. Cambridge : International Whaling Commission 1032 pp.

Warneke, R.M. 1983. Whale stranding — accident or design. Australian Natural History 21: 43-47

Watson, L. 1981. Sea Guide to Whales of the World. London : Hutchinson 302 pp.

 

Common Name References

ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Common Dolphin)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
11-Jun-2024		11-Jun-2024	MOVED
11-Jun-2024		11-Jun-2024	MOVED
16-Dec-2010		16-Dec-2010	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)