The spinner dolphin (
Stenella longirostris) has the most teeth: 225 or more. This acrobatic champion leaps high out of the water, then twists and spins horizontally before nose-diving back in. The maximum length of a mature adult is 6 feet; maximum weight is 200 pounds. In deep tropical waters—particularly around Hawaii, Mexico, and Japan—dolphins live in groups as large as 300. They feed on small fish, squid, and shrimp.
Thousands of dolphins are killed yearly for their meat (especially in Sri Lanka and Japan) and their oil. Schools of yellow fin tuna like to swim under spinner dolphins, making them innocent victims of huge commercial fishing nets. The spinner dolphin population has been reduced by 85 percent since the 1970s, but awareness of the problem has led to new fishing techniques that do not harm the dolphins.
