types of dolphins
Types of Dolphins
It's ironic that oceanic dolphins are more popular than river dolphins, especially because it's the latter who are in dire need of attention. In this particular article, we will shed light on different types of dolphins in a bid to make readers aware of the fact that the world of these cetaceans goes well beyond the bottlenose species.
CR
Critically Endangered
EN
Endangered
VU
Vulnerable
NT
Near Threatened
LC
Least Concern
DD
Data Deficient
Oceanic Dolphins (Family Delphinidae)
| Species | Scientific Name | Range | Status |
| Atlantic humpback dolphin | Sousa teuszii | Endemic to the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean | VU |
| Atlantic spotted dolphin | Stenella frontalis | Found in the Gulf Stream of the North Atlantic Ocean | DD |
| Atlantic white-sided dolphin | Lagenorhynchus acutus | Found in the North Atlantic Ocean | LC |
| Australian snubfin dolphin | Orcaella heinsohni | Found off the northern coast of Australia | NT |
| Burrunan dolphin | Tursiops australis | Found off-coast Victoria, Australia | NA* |
| Chilean dolphin | Cephalorhynchus eutropia | Found off-coast Chile | NT |
| Clymene dolphin | Stenella clymene | Found in the Atlantic Ocean | DD |
| Commerson's dolphin | Cephalorhynchus commersonii | Found along the southern coast of South America; near the Kerguelen Islands in the Indian Ocean | DD |
| Common bottlenose dolphin | Tursiops truncatus | Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide | LC |
| Costero | Sotalia guianensis | Found off-coast northern and eastern South America and eastern Central America | DD |
| Dusky dolphin | Lagenorhynchus obscurus | Found off-coast South America, southwestern Africa, southern Australia, and New Zealand | DD |
| False killer whale | Pseudorca crassidens | Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide | DD |
| Fraser's dolphin | Lagenodelphis hosei | Inhabits deep tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean | LC |
| Heaviside's dolphin | Cephalorhynchus heavisidii | Found along the southwestern coast of Africa | DD |
| Hector's dolphin | Cephalorhynchus hectori | Endemic to the coastal regions of New Zealand | EN |
| Hourglass dolphin | Lagenorhynchus cruciger | Inhabits Antarctic and sub-antarctic waters | LC |
| Indian humpback dolphin | Sousa plumbea | Found in the Indian Ocean; from South Africa to the east coast of India | NT |
| Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin | Tursiops aduncus | Found off-coast India, northern Australia, South China, and the eastern coast of Africa | DD |
| Irrawaddy dolphin | Orcaella brevirostris | Inhabits the waters of Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia | VU |
| Killer whale (orca) | Orcinus orca | Found all over the world | DD |
| Long-beaked common dolphin | Delphinus capensis | Disjointed range in warm-temperate and tropical oceans | DD |
| Long-finned pilot whale | Globicephala melas | Found in the North Atlantic and parts of the Southern Hemisphere | DD |
| Melon-headed whale | Peponocephala electra | Found in tropical waters around the world | LC |
| Northern right whale dolphin | Lissodelphis borealis | Found in the North Pacific Ocean | LC |
| Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin | Sousa chinensis | Inhabits waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans; east coast of India to China and Australia | NT |
| Pacific white-sided dolphin | Lagenorhynchus obliquidens | Found in the North Pacific Ocean | LC |
| Pantropical spotted dolphin | Stenella attenuata | Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide | LC |
| Peale's dolphin | Lagenorhynchus australis | Endemic to the coastal waters around southern South America | DD |
| Pygmy killer whale | Feresa attenuata | Inhabits tropical and subtropical waters around the world | DD |
| Risso's dolphin | Grampus griseus | Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide | LC |
| Rough-toothed dolphin | Steno bredanensis | Found in tropical waters around the world | LC |
| Short-beaked common dolphin | Delphinus delphis | Found in warm-temperate and tropical oceans worldwide | LC |
| Short-finned pilot whale | Globicephala macrorhynchus | Found in warm-temperate and tropical oceans worldwide | DD |
| Southern right whale dolphin | Lissodelphis peronii | Inhabits cold water of temperate and polar regions in the Southern Hemisphere | DD |
| Spinner dolphin | Stenella longirostris | Found in tropical waters around the world | DD |
| Striped dolphin | Stenella coeruleoalba | Found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide | LC |
| Tucuxi | Sotalia fluviatilis | Endemic to the Amazon Basin | DD |
| White-beaked dolphin | Lagenorhynchus albirostris | Endemic to the North Atlantic Ocean | LC |
River Dolphins (Family Iniidae)
| Species | Scientific Name | Range | Status |
| Amazon river dolphin | Inia geoffrensis | The Orinoco, Amazon, and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems | DD |
| Araguaian river dolphin | Inia araguaiaensis | The Araguaia-Tocantins basin | NA* |
South Asian River Dolphin (Family Platanistidae)
| Species | Scientific Name | Range | Status |
| South Asian river dolphin | Platanista gangetica | River systems of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. | EN |
La Plata dolphin (Family Pontoporiidae)
| Species | Scientific Name | Range | Status |
| La Plata dolphin | Pontoporia blainvillei | The Río de la Plata estuary and coastal waters along the Atlantic coast. | VU |
Porpoises (Family Phocoenidae)
Despite all the similarities, porpoises are different from dolphins. They are smaller and have short, blunt snouts. They are often referred to as small dolphins by sailors and fishermen. The six extant species of porpoises are ...
» Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis)
» Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli)
» Finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides)
» Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
» Spectacled porpoise (Phocoena dioptrica)
» Vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus)