Common dolphins in Tenerife
Large, noisy, fast-moving groups that pass through rather than settle. The hourglass pattern on the flank is what gives them away.
The hourglass
Common dolphins carry a distinctive pattern along each flank: a pale yellow-tan panel towards the front and a grey one behind, meeting below the dorsal fin in a shape like an hourglass. You see it when they turn or leap, and once you have seen it you cannot mistake the species again.
They are slim, sharply built and slightly smaller than a spotted dolphin.
Groups of hundreds
Common dolphins travel in some of the largest groups of any dolphin. Encounters here often involve dozens of animals spread over a wide area, all moving in the same direction at speed and generating enough noise at the surface to hear from the boat before you see them.
When
Irregular. They are not resident on this coast and are seen more often further offshore than most tours go, but groups do move through, more commonly in the cooler part of the year.
Common questions
Is the common dolphin actually common here?
Common worldwide, not especially common on this stretch of coast. The name is about the species globally, not about your odds today.
How do I tell it from a spotted dolphin?
The hourglass. Spotted dolphins have freckles; common dolphins have a two-tone flank pattern.
2 h · max 10€60 per adult
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