Behavior and Life History
In certain regions, such as Hawaii and northern Brazil, dolphins spend the daytime resting in shallow bays near deep water. At dusk, they travel offshore to feed. They travel along the shore during foraging trips, and the individuals that occupy the same bay may change daily. Some individual dolphin do not anyways go to abay to rest. However, in Hawaii, dolphins do seem to return to the same site each trip.
Spinner dolphins live in an open and loose social organization. The spinner dolphins of Hawaii live in family groups but also have associations with others beyond their groups. Mothers and calves form strong social bonds. Spinner dolphins seem to have a promiscuous mating system, with individuals changing partners for up to some weeks. A dozen adult males may gather into coalitions. Vocalizations of spinner dolphins include whistles, which may be used to orangization the structure of the school; burst-pulse signals, which may serve to be evocative and vocative and echolocation clicks. The spinner dolphin has a 10 months gestation period, and mothers nurse their young for 1–2 years. Females are sexually mature at 4–7 years, with 3 year calving intervals, while males are sexually mature by 7–10 years. Breeding is seasonal, more so in certain regions than others.
Read more about this topic: Spinner Dolphin
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