# Common dolphin (*Delphinus delphis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-dolphin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins subgroup, belonging to the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Delphinidae. It is a large, marine, nocturnal animal with an adult body mass of 80 kg, classed as an invertivore at the carnivore trophic level. Gestation lasts 296.9 days, with 0.99 young per litter and 0.42 litters per year, and sexual maturity is reached at 3.6 years. The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 77.8 kg – 80 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 20 years – 29 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 297 days – 335 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 0.99 |
| Age at maturity | 2.99 years – 4.31 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.42 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Cetacea
- family: Delphinidae
- genus: Delphinus
- species: *Delphinus delphis* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Delphinus albimanus*, *Delphinus algeriensis*, *Delphinus bairdi*, *Delphinus capensis*, *Delphinus capensis capensis*, *Delphinus delphis capensis*, *Delphinus forsteri*, *Delphinus frithii*, *Delphinus fulvofasciatus*, *Delphinus longirostris*, *Delphinus loriger*, *Delphinus major*, *Delphinus marginatus*, *Delphinus microps*, *Delphinus moorei*, *Delphinus novaezealandiae*, *Delphinus novaezeelandiae*, *Delphinus novaezelandiae*, *Delphinus sao*, *Delphinus zelandae*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common dolphin?

The common dolphin is a mammal in the whales and dolphins subgroup, placed in the order Cetacea and the family Delphinidae.

### How heavy is a common dolphin?

An adult common dolphin has a body mass of 80 kg, which places it in the large size class (25 to 250 kg).

### What does the common dolphin eat?

The common dolphin is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### Is the common dolphin endangered?

No. The common dolphin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a common dolphin live?

The common dolphin has a lifespan of 20 years, and our sources report values up to 29 years.

### How long is the common dolphin's gestation period?

Gestation lasts 296.9 days, with a highest reported value of 334.8 days. There are 0.99 young per litter and 0.42 litters per year.

### When does a common dolphin reach sexual maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 3.6 years, with reported values from 3.0 to 4.3 years.

### Who named the common dolphin?

The common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-dolphin