Spotted dolphin refers to either one of two closely related dolphin species, being:
- Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis
- pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata
The Atlantic spotted dolphin is a dolphin found in the Gulf Stream of the North Atlantic Ocean. Older members of the species have a very distinctive spotted coloration all over their bodies.
The pantropical spotted dolphin is a species of dolphin found in all the world's temperate and tropical oceans. The species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna purse seines. In the 1980s, the rise of "dolphin-friendly" tuna capture methods saved millions of the species in the eastern Pacific Ocean and it is now one of the most abundant dolphin species in the world.
While the pantropical spotted dolphin can be found around the world's oceans where a tropical or subtropical climate exists, the Atlantic spotted dolphin can only be found in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's oceans, with an area of about 106,460,000 square kilometers. It covers approximately 20 percent of the Earth's surface and about 29 percent of its water surface area. It separates the "Old World" from the "New World".
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