Stenella frontalis
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) is a dolphin found in warm temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Older members of the species have a very distinctive spotted coloration all over their bodies.
The Atlantic spotted dolphin was first described by Cuvier in 1828. Considerable variation in the physical form of individuals occurs in the species, and specialists have long been uncertain as to the correct taxonomic classification. Currently, just one species is recognised, but a large, particularly spotty variant commonly found near Florida quite possibly may be classified as a formal subspecies or indeed a species in its own right.
Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas have been observed mating with bottlenose dolphins. Rich LeDuc has published data that suggest the Atlantic spotted dolphin may be more closely related to the bottlenose dolphins (genus Tursiops) than to other members of the genus Stenella. More recent studies in the 2020s indicate that this is a consequence of reticulate evolution (such as past hybridization between Stenella (spotted dolphins) and ancestral Tursiops (bottlenose dolphins)) and incomplete lineage sorting, and...
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pico Island Natural Park (Azores) | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 2 | Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Atlantic Spotted Dolphin sighting in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 6 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Atlantic Spotted Dolphin in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) on a given day, against under 5% in June, September and December, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Atlantic Spotted Dolphin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Atlantic Spotted Dolphin sightings, Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Pico Island Natural Park (Azores) (Portugal, about 40%).
Same family: Delphinidae
The closest relatives of the Atlantic Spotted Dolphin that you can see in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) (family Delphinidae, Oceanic Dolphins) are Short-finned Pilot Whale (about 60%) and Bottlenose Dolphin (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Atlantic Spotted Dolphin is recorded against all the mammals logged in Teno-Rasca Marine Strip (Tenerife) (26 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
