A Clymene dolphin observed during the AMAPPS Summer 2021 research survey. NMFS MMPA Permit No.21938. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate
A Clymene dolphin observed during the AMAPPS Summer 2021 research survey. NMFS MMPA Permit No.21938. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate
About the Species
A Clymene dolphin observed during the AMAPPS Summer 2021 research survey. NMFS MMPA Permit No.21938. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate
A Clymene dolphin observed during the AMAPPS Summer 2021 research survey. NMFS MMPA Permit No.21938. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Mary Applegate
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 Gulf of America* (formerly Gulf of Mexico) stock and the western North Atlantic stock. Based on the most recent surveys, our scientists estimate that there are about 513 dolphins in the northern Gulf of America stock. Estimates for this stock have varied widely over time. The number of dolphins in the western North Atlantic stock is 21,778.
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 America, 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.
*Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” (Jan. 20, 2025), directs that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. Gulf of America references in this website refer to the same area as the Gulf of Mexico in the applicable regulations under 50 CFR parts 216–219, 222–226, and 600–699. The name change did not result in any changes to, and had no effect on the applicability or enforceability of, any existing regulations. This website continues to use “Gulf of Mexico” when quoting statutes, existing regulations, or previously published materials.
Scientific Classification
| Animalia |
Chordata |
Mammalia |
Cetacea |
Delphinidae |
Stenella |
clymene |
Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 04/24/2025
