Why are they called Spinner Dolphins?

Who can resist dolphins?  They're smart, and they always have that mysterious smile.  But they're wild animals - possibly friendly, potentially dangerous, and only a few people get a chance to see them in the wild.

Dolphins are rarely found alone.  They rest, socialize, travel and play in groups.

Dolphins form friendships that can last a lifetime, cooperate to hunt for food, and care for their young.  In dolphin society, the strongest and longest lasting bond is between a mother and her baby, called a calf.  A calf will remain with its mom, and feed on her milk for about three to five years. 

Dolphins can see well at a distance both under and above the water.  Dolphins have a special ability that they share with bats, called echolocation.  A dolphin sends out a narrow sound beam that meets objects as it travels, the objects reflect the beam back at the dolphin, giving the animal information about its surroundings.

During the daytime groups of spinner dolphins rest in shallow bays, swimming slowly over the sea floor.  Spinner dolphins are nocturnal, becoming active in the afternoon and joining up for an evening's hunt.

Dolphins squawk, whistle and click at one another.  They do not always move their mouths when they make sounds.  In fact, whistles and clicks - the sounds they make most often - come from their foreheads or melon.  The melon is filled with a fatty mass that is sometimes called acoustic fat.  Dolphins hear sounds in an unusual way too.  Sounds vibrate through their lower jawbone, are carried to the fatty fluid inside this jawbone, and finally reach the ear bones.

A baby dolphin is born tail first, after a year inside its mother's womb.  Dolphins are always born under water,  usually near the surface.  Within a few seconds of being born, the baby is nudged toward the surface of the water to breathe.  Another female dolphin - not the father - may help the baby to the surface.  The fathers have very little, if anything, to do with looking after their young.

One of the most acrobatic of all creatures, the Spinner Dolphin is well known for its spectacular aerial displays.  Naturally playful, dolphins often make 'toyss' out of objects in the water.  Dolphins are very playful and are often seen frolicking in the water.  Sometimes they 'hitch' a ride on waves created by a moving boat's bow, the way a surfer rides a wave.

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See Spinner Dolphins in Hawai'i

It's easy to romanticize any encounter with dolphins. Their mouths are shaped in a perpetual smile, and they go jumping and spinning from the water, beckoning the adventurous to come along. Though not considered endangered, dolphins are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which dictates that humans and vessels maintain a distance of at least 50 yards.  In the wild it is not illegal for dolphins to approach you, but it is against the law to chase, surround, touch or swim with them.