Pantropical Spotted Dolphin * Pantropiese Gevlekte Dolfyn * Stenella Attenuata

Photo 61633355, (c) Alexandre Roux

By Chris_huh - https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2159304

The slaughter of millions of these dolphins, by net-based tuna fishing techniques, was putting the species in danger. The emergence of "dolphin-friendly" tuna capture techniques in the 1980s prevented the extinction of millions of the species in the eastern Pacific Ocean, making it one of the most numerous dolphin species in the world today.

The pantropical spotted dolphin is frequently seen making big leaps from the water and is quite active. It's common to play with boats and ride the bow.

They are the second most common dolphin after the bottlenose dolphin. There are more than three million of them in the world, with two million of them living in the eastern Pacific. Sadly, the number has dropped from at least 7 million since the 1950s.

Where did almost 5 million go? 5 Million were killed between 1959 and 1972 alone! Both Japan and Taiwan catch pantropical spotted dolphins for human consumption.

Sources:

(*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantropical_spotted_dolphin
(*) https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41500-Stenella-attenuata
(*) https://animalia.bio/pantropical-spotted-dolphin