Short-Beaked Common Dolphin

Short-Beaked Common Dolphin
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Character Data
Japanese Name: マイルカ Romanised Name: Mairuka First Featured in: Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name: Delphinus delphis Distribution: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southeast Indian Ocean Diet: Carnivore Average Lifespan in the Wild: 35 years Read More: Short-beaked common dolphin Conservation Status:

Short-Beaked Common Dolphin​

Anime​

Festival​

Pavilion​

KF3​ (V2)​

Kingdom​

Nexon Game​

Gallery

{{{introduction}}}

Appearance

Very cute and cheerful

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role

In Real Life

The short-beaked common dolphin is one of the most abundant species of dolphin. They are found in the Pacific, Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea; they prefer to stay relatively close to the shores. Their prey consists of squids and small schooling fish.

Dolphins are very social and playful animals, they travel in pods of 20 to 60 animals which can merge into so-called mega-pods consisting of thousands of specimen. They mix with other species of dolphin and even hunt together with yellowfin tuna, sea birds and humans. They are often seen jumping or even somersaulting out of the water and bow-riding the wave created by large moving ships and whales. Dolphins have been observed randomly swapping to different boats while bow-riding to go to random different directions, suggesting they often do it for fun.

Breeding season is usually between June and September. After a gestation period of around 11 months, a single calf is born. The calf will stay close to its mother to learn feeding and social behavior for around 3-4 years and their coloration will become bolder and more distinct as they age. They start learning to hunt when they're around 6 months old and may take months to learn how to swim properly, often following their mother closely to use the slipstream.

Human fishing is a threat to the dolphins as they are often caught as bycatch and the population of their prey is significantly decreased. Especially younger ones are often killed in collisions with ships. Pollution may also be the cause of many deaths of dolphins. Dolphins have been observed heavily grieving the death of another specimen, especially their calves. While the species itself is healthy and considered to be of least concern, the populations in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea are classified as endangered and vulnerable respectively.