Maximum Length — Odontoceti (Dolphins)

Short beaked common dolphin Madeira Tour

Among the dolphins sighted off Madeira, the bottlenose dolphin is the largest, reaching up to 3.9 metres, closely followed by Risso’s dolphin at 3.8 metres. The common dolphin is the smallest in this group, with a maximum length of just 1.7 metres. Compared to Odontoceti whales, all dolphins have modest dimensions, but the variation within the group is significant — the bottlenose dolphin is more than twice the size of the common dolphin.

Two size categories at sea

On a trip off Madeira, expect to see dolphins in two size categories. The large dolphins are the bottlenose dolphin and Risso’s dolphin, which reach up to 3.9 and 3.8 metres. All the others (Atlantic spotted, common, striped, rough-toothed and Fraser’s dolphin) are average-sized, with maximum lengths between 1.7 and 2.7 metres.

Chart Data Table

Species	Maximum length (m)
Atlantic spotted dolphin	2.3
Bottlenose dolphin	3.9
Common dolphin	1.7
Fraser’s dolphin	2.7
Risso’s dolphin	3.8
Rough-toothed dolphin	2.6
Striped dolphin	2.5

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)
Jenkins, J. (2009). “Tursiops truncatus” — Animal Diversity Web
Barratclough, A. et al. (2023). How to estimate age of old bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Frontiers in Marine Science, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1135521
Alspaugh, M. (2000). “Delphinus delphis” — Animal Diversity Web
Perrin, W. F. (2018). Common Dolphin: Delphinus delphis. In Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (pp. 205–209). Academic Press. (no public DOI/URL found)
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)
Hans, K. (2011). “Grampus griseus” — Animal Diversity Web
Dolar, M.L.L. (2018). Fraser’s dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei. In: Würsig, B., Thewissen, J.G.M., Kovacs, K.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, 3rd edn. Academic Press, London.
Amano, M., Miyazaki, N., & Yanagisawa, F. (1996). Life history of Fraser’s dolphin. Marine Mammal Science, 12, 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.1996.tb00571.x
Kerem, D. (2026). Rough-Toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis (Lesson, 1828). In: Hackländer, K., Zachos, F.E. (eds) Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65038-8_104-3
Greenwood, J. (2011). “Steno bredanensis” — Animal Diversity Web
Savage, M. (2000). “Stenella coeruleoalba” — Animal Diversity Web
Roca-Monge, K. et al. (2022). Age and Sexual Maturity Estimation of Stranded Striped Dolphins. Oceans, 3, 494–508. https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans3040033
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)