spotted dolphin

noun

Any of two species of dolphins of the genus Stenella.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounspotted dolphin (plural spotted dolphins)

plural spotted dolphins

  1. Any of two species of dolphins of the genus Stenella.

    Spotted dolphins perform ‘genital buzzing’, in which an adult directs a rapid stream of low-pitched clicks at the genital area of another, usually a calf.

    2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Granta Books, published 2013, page 59
    1. Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)
    2. pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata)

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
spotter

Origin

From spotted + dolphin.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

spotted dolphin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spotted%20dolphin

MLA

“spotted dolphin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spotted%20dolphin. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spotted dolphin,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spotted%20dolphin.

Source: spotted dolphin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.