Spinner Dolphins

  Others were found in large single-species groups. The two primary tuna-porpoise dolphins offshore are "spinners" and "spotters." A mother and calf Eastern Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris orientalis (left; this may be a different species than nominate Spinner Dolphins elsewhere in tropical oceans) leap clear of the sea. This animal occur in huge groups of hundreds, and often do remarkable spins during theirs leaps.





Here is a photo I found at Google images with the mother (about 5 to 6 feet in length) and calf (under 3 feet). When a calf is born it might be about the length of a football and immediately swims to the surface for it's first breath. Then it swims along with it's mother as it grows up slowly to adult size which I believe takes at least a year or more in the wilds of the ocean. I saw a calf about 2 feet long and everyone in the snorkel boat there off Lanai Island across from Maui where we started in Lahaina said, "Awww" because the baby was so very cute swimming and jumping along with it's proud mother.