Tourists were left shocked when they witnessed an unexpected sight on the Romanian coast: a wounded dolphin, carried ashore by the waves. The injured dolphin, identified as belonging to the Delphinus Delphis species, was promptly pulled from the water in a rescue attempt, but sadly, it couldn’t be saved. Experts suspect its multiple wounds were caused by entanglement in fishing nets.
In the Black Sea, there are three main dolphin species: the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis ponticus), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ponticus), and the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta). These species differ not only in their anatomical features but also in their feeding habits. The bottlenose dolphin and harbor porpoise primarily consume fish and benthic organisms, while the common dolphin’s diet consists of fish and other organisms found throughout the water column. Consequently, their habitats vary: bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises are commonly found near the coast, while common dolphins prefer offshore areas.
Distinctive in appearance, the common dolphin exhibits a bluish-gray to brown dorsal side with a V-shaped, light-colored marking along its sides. A dark band connects the lower jaw to the pectoral fins, with dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins in shades of black or gray-brown. At birth, these dolphins measure around 0.80-0.95 meters, with adult males in the Black Sea reaching up to 1.77 meters and females around 1.59 meters. They are highly sensitive to pollution and typically form groups of 10-15, though pairs or solitary individuals are also common. Known for their speed, they can swim up to 50 km/h, surfacing every 1-3 seconds to breathe and diving to depths of up to 70 meters.
Common dolphins reach sexual maturity at two years of age, with a gestation period of 10 months, and they are weaned at about four months. They display strong maternal instincts and can live 25-30 years. Their diet primarily includes small pelagic fish, like sprat, anchovy, and gobies, as well as other species such as horse mackerel, cod, bluefish, red mullet, sea bass, shrimp, and mollusks. They consume approximately 10 kg of food daily.