Spinner dolphin prey species follow a vertical and horizontal migration pattern, staying in deep waters in the ocean during the day, and then moving up in the water column (vertical migration) and inshore (horizontal migration) at night. Spinner dolphins feed at night on species including small fish, shrimp, and squid that are found about 650 to 1,000 feet below the surface of the water. Researchers take photographs of the dolphins' dorsal fins and then match the shape, nicks, and notches in each fin to a catalog of known individuals to obtain life history information for each animal. Individual dolphins are identified by their unique dorsal fins. The three-part color region consists of a dark gray dorsal/back cape, a light gray side, and a white belly. Gray’s spinner dolphins exhibit a tripartite color pattern with counter shading from dark to light. ![]() There is a great deal of color variation in spinner dolphins across the globe, depending on the region and subspecies of dolphin. They reach weights of at least 181 pounds. ![]() Among Gray’s spinner dolphins (the subspecies that includes Hawaiian spinner dolphins), adult females are 4.6 to 6.7 feet long and adult males are 5.2 to 6.8 feet long. ![]() They are slender, with thin, recurved flippers, and dorsal fins that usually range from slightly curved to erect and triangular. Spinner dolphins are relatively small compared with other species of oceanic dolphins.
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