---
title: Dolphins (Delphinidae)
scientific_name: Delphinidae
common_name: Dolphins
rank: Family
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-03T21:30:49.998Z
tags: Dolphins, Delphinidae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins
---

# Dolphins (*Delphinidae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Family
- **Scientific name:** Delphinidae
- **Body shape:** Torpedo - Streamlined and muscular, built for open-water speed - jacks, tunas, barracudas.
- **Species listed here:** 8

## How to recognise this group

- robust, torpedo-shaped body
- prominent dorsal fin
- grey upper body, lighter belly
- large size, over 1.3 meters long
- fast, agile swimming, often in social groups

Dolphins are streamlined marine mammals with robust, torpedo-shaped bodies and a prominent dorsal fin. Most species possess a distinct beak and conical teeth adapted for grasping prey. They are typically grey on the dorsal side and lighter ventrally, often displaying species-specific patterns of stripes or patches. Members of this family range from 1.3 to over 4 meters (4.3-13 ft) in length and weigh between 20 and 650 kilograms (44-1430 lbs).

They inhabit offshore waters, frequently visiting reef slopes and drop-offs from the surface down to several hundred meters (hundreds of feet). Their diet consists primarily of schooling fish and cephalopods, located using echolocation. Dolphins are highly social, living in pods that vary from a few individuals to many hundreds, and often engage in cooperative hunting. They are frequently observed swimming rapidly, performing acrobatic leaps near the surface, and are regularly encountered by divers, especially in the vicinity of oceanic reefs.


## Species (8)

- [Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/common-bottlenose-dolphin)
- [False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/false-killer-whale)
- [Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin (Sousa plumbea)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/indian-ocean-humpback-dolphin)
- [Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/indo-pacific-bottlenose-dolphin)
- [Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/killer-whale-cosmopolitan)
- [Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/pantropical-spotted-dolphin)
- [Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/rissos-dolphin)
- [Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins/spinner-dolphin)

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/mammals/dolphins)*
*Updated: August 3, 2026*