Marine Life

Common Dolphin
(Delphinus delphis)
Courtesy of Tom Haight

This offshore species is found in large numbers off our coastline. They are a common sight riding the bows of ships making the crossing between the mainland and Catalina island. This species grows to a length of 8 to 9 feet. They have a classic yellowish hourglass marking on their side. Another good field mark is the stripe or stripes from the center of the lower jaw to the flipper. There are at least two sub-species, one possessing a short beak and the other with a long beak. They feed on small fish and for some unknown reason, tuna often school below them.