Food That a Dolphin Eats

Primary food sources

• Dolphins feed mostly on fish, including mackerel, herring, cod and mullet. However, species depends largely on the location of the dolphin and the availability of the food, which may change seasonally or due to population growth or decline in the prey species. For example, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin feed mostly on croaker and lionhead fish, whereas the pantropical spotted dolphins feed on approximately 64 different species, with lanternfishes being the most common.

Secondary Food Sources

• While the bulk of a dolphin's diet may consist of fish, dolphins will also eat squid, octopus, cuttlefish and crustaceans like shrimp. The amount of cephalopods and shellfish can vary greatly by species. In spotted dolphins, cephalopods like squid and octopus may account for more than 30 percent of the diet , while in other species, they may be only a small part of the diet.

Feeding technique

• Dolphins have no molars so they do not chew their food, but rather swallow it whole or in large chunks. They have specialized muscles at the backs of their throats to push out salt water as they draw the food into their stomachs. Dolphins eat fish head-first to keep the spines and fins from damaging their throats. They can consume whole fish as large as 5 kilograms, but younger dolphins will stick to smaller prey.

Hunting

• Dolphins are opportunistic eaters, but they practice intentional hunting, coordinating in groups to catch prey. They emit sound waves and use echolocation to find their food, though some scientists believe they can use sound to stun fish. As a group, they will surround a school of fish, taking turns darting through the swarm to catch a meal. Bottlenosed dolphins have even been known to drive mullet into the nets of fishermen and then take the fish directly from the net.