The dolphin is a marine mammal belonging to the order of Cetaceans. It is not a fish because it breathes air with lungs and rises to the surface to breathe through the blowhole on the top of its head. It is warm-blooded and nurses its young. In the Mediterranean, four main species are permanently found.

The Striped Dolphin is the most common species and is recognisable by the thin dark lines or bands that start from the eye and end at the tail. The Bottlenose Dolphin is the best-known species, with a robust grey body and a short snout, and it often approaches the coast. The Common Dolphin is distinguished by a characteristic yellowish pattern shaped like an hourglass on its sides. Finally, the Risso's Dolphin is a larger grey species that becomes covered with white scratches or scars over the years.

Most dolphins, such as the Striped Dolphin and the Common Dolphin, are pelagic, which means they live in the open sea and at great depths. The Bottlenose Dolphin is the only species regularly encountered in shallow coastal waters. The Risso's Dolphin prefers the deep waters of the continental slope between 500 and 1000 metres, where it hunts for cephalopods.

These are carnivorous animals with high intelligence, and they exhibit cooperation during hunting. They primarily feed on surface fish such as sardines, anchovies, and mackerel, as well as squid. They use echolocation or biological sonar to locate their prey even in absolute darkness.

Protection Status & Threats

All dolphin species are strictly protected by regional and international legislation, and their fishing is prohibited. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the population of the Common Dolphin in the Mediterranean is considered Endangered, while the Striped Dolphin is characterised as Vulnerable. The main threats are not intentional killing but overfishing of their food sources, such as reductions in sardine and anchovy stocks. Other threats include accidental entanglement in nets, as well as marine and noise pollution from ships and sonar, which disrupts their orientation.