Clymene Dolphin

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. Unlike spinner dolphins, however, they do not complete a full rotation during their spins. Instead, they usually land on their sides or backs. 

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.

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 more than 100 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

Appearance

Clymene dolphins are about 6 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 several hundred. These groups are sometimes organized by 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 have been reported to spin up to three to four revolutions out of the water. 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 have 39 to 52 pairs of small, cone-shaped teeth in each jaw. 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 (New Jersey), the Gulf of Mexico, the 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 sometimes target and hunt Clymene dolphins for meat and oil.

Scientific Classification

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