Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris

Known for their acrobatic displays the spinner dolphin, (Stenella longirostris) is a year round resident of our coastal Maui waters. They frequent shallow sandy bays during the day to rest, making them the most commonly encountered dolphins on our Pacific Whale Foundation eco-cruises. Some days you can find a pod over a hundred dolphins strong and coupled with calm, sunny conditions it can be great for photographing. Still, these are marine mammals only spending a fraction of their time near the surface so snapping that perfect photograph can be quite the challenge. I think that is one of the really rewarding things about wildlife photography.

 The spinner dolphins are one of the smaller species that we find, often weighing less that a full grown human. What they lack in size they make up for in aerial flips, twists, and spins. Our research is looking into what purpose these acrobatics might have. The leading theory now is for communication. The splash sending a sound wave which can be some kind of decision point for the pod. Another theory is that these dolphins may spin to try and rid themselves of parasites or maybe even just for fun. Either way they are great fun to watch. Finding these dolphins out in the wild is also the only way you will see this species. They need the social atmosphere of a large pod and have never done well in captivity.

A baby spinner dolphin clearing the water