Biblioteca

The common dolphin (Delphinus spp.) is widely recognized as one of the most abundant and geographically widespread cetacean species worldwide, inhabiting both coastal and oceanic waters across tropical and temperate regions (Jefferson et al., 2008; Perrin, 2018; Braulik et al., 2021). Taxonomic classification and nomenclature have been subjects of ongoing debate due to the species’ variability in color pattern, morphology, size, and ecological preferences. This debate centers on distinguishing between at least three distinct morphs and ecotypes: the offshore, broadly distributed short-beaked form; the more locally distributed long-beaked form, which globally includes several distinct populations evolved separately, and tends to prefer cool coastal waters (Banks & Brownell, 1969; Jefferson et al., 2008; Perrin, 2018); and thirdly, a strictly tropical form, not present in the Southeast Pacific, with an exceptionally long rostrum (Jefferson & Van Waerebeek, 2002; Perrin, 2018).