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Clymene Dolphin

Clymene Dolphin

Stenella clymene

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Protected Status

CITES Appendix II
Throughout Its Range
MMPA Protected
Throughout Its Range

Quick Facts

Weight
165 to 200 pounds
Lifespan
Unknown
Length
6 to 6.5 feet
Threats
Entanglement in fishing gear, Hunting (Caribbean Sea), Ocean noise
Region
New England/Mid-Atlantic, Southeast
See Regulatory Actions

About the Species

Clymene dolphins are found in the deep, tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the smallest dolphin in the genus Stenella, which also includes spinner dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, and striped dolphins.

Clymene dolphins are also known as "short-snouted spinner dolphins" because they often spin while jumping out of the water.

Clymene dolphins, like all marine mammals, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. NOAA Fisheries and its partners are working to conserve Clymene dolphins and further our understanding of this species through research and conservation activities.

Population Status

NOAA Fisheries estimates population size in its stock assessment reports.

The worldwide population of Clymene dolphins is unknown.

To manage Clymene dolphins in U.S. waters, we have divided them into two stocks: the northern Gulf of Mexico stock and the western North Atlantic stock. Based on the most recent surveys, our scientists estimate that there are about 129 dolphins in the northern Gulf of Mexico stock. Estimates for this stock have varied widely over time. The number of dolphins in the western North Atlantic stock is unknown.

Protected Status

CITES Appendix II

  • Throughout Its Range

MMPA Protected

  • Throughout Its Range

Appearance

Clymene dolphins are about six to 6.5 feet long and weigh about 165 to 200 pounds. They have a streamlined body with a tall, curved dorsal fin located midway down their back. Their beaks are moderately short. Like other cetaceans, their head has a distinctive "melon," a rounded forehead that collects sounds from the environment.

Clymene dolphins have a three-part color pattern with a dark gray back, light gray sides, and a white or pale gray underside. They have distinct black lips that can look like a mustache, as well as a dark line that extends across the top of their beak. They also have 39 to 52 pairs of small, cone-shaped teeth in each jaw.

Behavior and Diet

Clymene dolphins are usually found in groups of 60 to 80 individuals but sometimes travel in groups of up to 200. These groups are sometimes organized by age and sex.

Clymene dolphins are often described as “acrobatic” swimmers because they often leap out of the water, spin in the air, and “surf” in the waves created by vessels. They sometimes interact with other cetacean species, such as common dolphins off West Africa and spinner dolphins in the Caribbean Sea.

Clymene dolphins dive to catch small fish and cephalopods (e.g., squid and octopi). They sometimes feed at night to catch prey that migrate towards the water’s surface after dark.

Where They Live

Clymene dolphins are found in deep tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters throughout the Atlantic Ocean. Their range includes the waters of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean (New Jersey), Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, southern Brazil, and West Africa (Mauritania to Angola).

Clymene dolphins prefer deep waters off the continental shelf (the edge of a continent below the ocean’s surface). They are usually found in oceanic waters 820 to 16,400 feet deep.

Lifespan & Reproduction

The estimated lifespan of Clymene dolphins is unknown, and little is known about their reproductive habits. These dolphins reach sexual maturity once they are 6 feet long. Females give birth to a single calf that weighs about 22 pounds.

Threats

Entanglement

One of the main threats to Clymene dolphins becoming entangled or captured in commercial fishing gear. Specifically, they have been caught in gillnet operations in Venezuela and tuna purse seine nets off the coast of West Africa. Entanglement during these interactions can injure or kill dolphins.

Ocean Noise

Underwater noise pollution interrupts the normal behavior of Clymene dolphins that rely on sound to communicate and echolocate. If loud enough, noise can cause permanent or temporary hearing loss. Noise interference from vessels, as well as industrial and military activities, disturbs Clymene dolphins’ feeding, communication, and orientation.

Hunting

Whalers in the Caribbean Sea (Lesser Antilles) sometimes target and hunt Clymene dolphins using harpoons for meat and oil.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Cetacea
Family Delphinidae
Genus Stenella
Species clymene

What We Do

Conservation & Management

NOAA Fisheries is committed to protecting Clymene dolphins. Targeted management actions taken to secure protections for these dolphins include:

  • Overseeing marine mammal health and stranding response
  • Addressing ocean noise
  • Educating the public about Clymene dolphins and the threats they face
Learn more about our conservation efforts

Science

Our research projects have discovered new aspects of Clymene dolphin biology, behavior, and ecology and helped us better understand the challenges that all Clymene dolphins face. Our work includes:

  • Stock assessments
  • Monitoring population abundance and distribution
Learn more about our research

How You Can Help

Keep your distance

Keep Your Distance

Be responsible when viewing marine life in the wild. Observe all dolphins and porpoises from a safe distance of at least 50 yards and limit your time spent observing to 30 minutes or less.

Learn more about our marine life viewing guidelines >

Marine Life In Distress

Report Marine Life in Distress

Report a sick, injured, entangled, stranded, or dead animal to make sure professional responders and scientists know about it and can take appropriate action. Numerous organizations around the country are trained and ready to respond. Never approach or try to save an injured or entangled animal yourself—it can be dangerous to both the animal and you.

Learn who you should contact when you encounter a stranded or injured marine animal >

Report a Violation

Report a Violation

Call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964 to report a federal marine resource violation. This hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone in the United States.

You may also contact your closest NOAA Office of Law Enforcement field office during regular business hours.

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Related Species

In the Spotlight

Management Overview

Clymene dolphins, like all marine mammals, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. In the United States, NOAA Fisheries works to protect all stocks of Clymene dolphins.

Conservation Efforts

Overseeing Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response

We work with volunteer networks in all coastal states to respond to marine mammal strandings including all dolphins and porpoises. When stranded animals are found alive, NOAA Fisheries and our partners assess the animal’s health and determine the best course of action. When stranded animals are found dead, our scientists work to understand and investigate the cause of death. Although the cause often remains unknown, scientists can sometimes attribute strandings to disease, harmful algal blooms, vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements, pollution exposure, and underwater noise. Some strandings can serve as indicators of ocean health, giving insight into larger environmental issues that may also have implications for human health and welfare.

Learn more about the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program

Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events

Clymene dolphins have been part of a declared unusual mortality event in the past. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, an unusual mortality event is defined as "a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response." To understand the health of marine mammal populations, scientists study unusual mortality events.

Get information on active and past UMEs

Get an overview of marine mammal UMEs

Addressing Ocean Noise

Underwater noise threatens dolphin populations, interrupting their normal behavior and driving them away from areas important to their survival. Increasing evidence suggests that exposure to intense underwater sound in some settings may cause some dolphins to strand and ultimately die. NOAA Fisheries is investigating all aspects of acoustic communication and hearing in marine animals, as well as the effects of sound on dolphin behavior and hearing. In 2018, we revised technical guidance for assessing the effects of human-caused sound on marine mammal hearing.

Learn more about ocean noise

Dolphin-Safe/Tuna Tracking and Verification Program

Dolphins, like other marine mammals, may become bycatch in fisheries. Some species of tuna are known to aggregate beneath schools of certain dolphin stocks. In some parts of the world, this close association led to the fishing practice of encircling a dolphin school to capture the tuna concentrated below. The Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act established a national tuna tracking program to ensure that tuna imported into the United States meets certain requirements to ensure the safety of dolphins during tuna fishing operations.

Learn more about the Dolphin-Safe/Tuna Tracking and Verification Program

Regulatory History

All marine mammals, including Clymene dolphins, are protected in the United States under the MMPA.

Key Actions and Documents

Incidental Take

Incidental Take Authorization: Scripps Institute of Oceanography Low-Energy Geophysical Survey in the South Atlantic Ocean

NOAA Fisheries has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during a low-energy marine geophysical survey in the South Atlantic…
Notice
,
Foreign
Published
11/07/2019

Incidental Take Authorization: Low-Energy Geophysical Survey in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean

NOAA Fisheries  issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography (SIO) to incidentally harass, by Level A and Level B harassment, marine mammals during a low-energy marine geophysical survey in the Southwest…
Notice
,
Foreign
Published
10/11/2019

Incidental Take Authorization: United States Geological Survey Geophysical Survey in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

NOAA Fisheries issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to USGS to incidentally harass, by Level B harassment only, marine mammals during geophysical survey activities associated with a the USGS’s Mid-Atlantic Resource Imaging Experiment …
Notice
,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Published
08/10/2018

Incidental Take Authorization: U.S. Navy Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT) along Atlantic and Gulf Coasts (2018-2025)

NOAA Fisheries has issued regulations pursuant to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to govern the taking of marine mammals incidental to the training and testing activities conducted in the Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT) Study Area…
Proposed Rule
,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Southeast
Foreign
Effective
11/14/2018

More Information

Science Overview

NOAA Fisheries conducts various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of Clymene dolphins. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions for this species.

Stock Assessments

Determining the size of Clymene dolphin populations helps resource managers determine the success of conservation measures. Our scientists collect population information and present the data in annual stock assessment reports.

Monitoring Population Abundance and Distribution

Scientists observe Clymene dolphins to record their numbers and distribution. By comparing numbers collected over multiple years, scientists can look for trends—i.e., whether the population is increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable during a given period.

More Information

Recent Science Blogs

View More

Outreach & Education

Educational Materials

Dolphin Friendly Fishing Tips Sign

This sign is often posted near boat ramps, piers, docks, marinas, and waterfront parks.

Southeast
Educational Materials

Protect Wild Dolphins Sign

This sign is often posted near boat ramps, piers, docks, marinas, and waterfront parks.

Southeast
Educational Materials

Don't Feed Wild Dolphin Sign

This sign is often posted near boat ramps, piers, docks, marinas, and waterfront parks.

Southeast
More Outreach and Education Materials