Maximum Dive Duration — Odontoceti (Dolphins)

Dolphin-Rough-Toothed Watching Madeira Island Tours On Tales

Among dolphins, Risso’s dolphin stands out as the most enduring diver, with dives reaching up to 30 minutes — twice that of the bottlenose dolphin and more than three times that of the Atlantic spotted dolphin. This capacity is linked to its diet of cephalopods that inhabit considerable depths. No published data on dive duration are available for Fraser’s dolphin. In general, dolphins dive for shorter periods than Odontoceti whales.

Chart Data Table

Species	Max dive duration (minutes)
Atlantic spotted dolphin	10
Bottlenose dolphin	13
Common dolphin	10
Fraser’s dolphin	No data available
Risso’s dolphin	30
Rough-toothed dolphin	15
Striped dolphin	15

References (with hyperlinked sources)

Silva, M. A., Chevallard, P., & Pérez-Jorge, S. (2022). Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Stenella frontalis. In Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Springer International Publishing. (no public DOI/URL found)
Perrin, W. F. (2009). Atlantic spotted dolphin: Stenella frontalis. In Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (pp. 54–56). Academic Press. (no public DOI/URL found)
Fahlman, A. et al. (2023). Deep diving by offshore bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.). Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.13045
Jenkins, J. (2009). “Tursiops truncatus” — Animal Diversity Web
Alspaugh, M. (2000). “Delphinus delphis” — Animal Diversity Web
Santos, M. B. et al. (2004). Variability in the diet of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in Galician waters 1991–2003. ICES CM 2004/Q:09. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25349722
Hartman, K. L. (2018). Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus. In Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (3rd ed., pp. 824–827). Elsevier. (no public DOI/URL found)
Baird, R. W. (2009). Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus. In Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2nd ed., pp. 975–976). Academic Press. (no public DOI/URL found)
Louella, M. & Dolar, L. (2009). Fraser’s Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (2nd ed.), pp. 469–471. (no public DOI/URL found)
Kerem, D. (2022). Rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis. In Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Springer International Publishing. (no public DOI/URL found)
Greenwood, J. (2011). “Steno bredanensis” — Animal Diversity Web
Cozzi, B. et al. (2005). Structure and biomechanical properties of the trachea of the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba. Anat Rec, 284, 500–510. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.a.20182
Savage, M. (2000). “Stenella coeruleoalba” — Animal Diversity Web
MBM (2021). Fichas de identificação de cetáceos no Arquipélago da Madeira. 66p. (no public URL — recurring, per tracker)
Freitas, L., Dinis, A., Alves, F., Nóbrega, F. (2004). Cetáceos No Arquipélago Da Madeira. Museu da Baleia, Funchal. (no public URL — recurring, per tracker)