Earlier this week, I started to update our Whales connection, but quickly discovered that we don’t have one for Dolphins yet (except for the very specific River Dolphins). I don’t think there’s a reason to have a connection for Whales and not for Dolphins: they are about as common, and while the Whales may be more impressive, the Dolphins often are more fun!

The new connection can be found here. Please find below some findings while compiling it.

What’s the difference between Whales and Dolphins?

They are very closely related: scientifically speaking, a dolphin is a type of toothed whale. However, in common language, "whale" typically refers to the larger cetaceans, especially the baleen whales, while "dolphin" refers to the smaller, typically more agile members of the toothed whale group.

For the connection, I will include all of the Family Delphinidae: Oceanic dolphins. This also includes the Killer Whale, or Orca, the largest species of dolphin. Similarly, Pilot Whales and False Killer Whales are also dolphins.

What’s the best WHS to see Dolphins?

In terms of the number of named species, the Marquesas Islands and the Lagoons of New Caledonia stand out with 11 and 10 different species, respectively. The Great Barrier Reef reportedly holds 19 species, but I have not been able to find details for all of those.

20 WHS have “dolphins” named in their official description; in 6 of those, dolphin behaviour or other specifics are highlighted in their OUV statements. These include the "famous population of Bottlenose Dolphin" in Shark Bay, Dolphin Bay at Fernando da Noronha, "the only known place in the world with such a large population of resident dolphins", and the Bijagos as a "sanctuary for in particular the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin".

At the other 17 WHS listed in the Connection, the presence of dolphins is less important, but sightings can still be good. Chances are good at Surtsey (read this review) and Socotra, for example. Although the dolphins at Socotra suffered a "mass death event" in June 2025, possibly caused by marine pollution.

Which Dolphin species stand out at WHS?

By far the most common type is the Common Bottlenose Dolphin, seen at 18 WHS. The Orca comes second, being present at at least 14 WHS.

Special ones are:

• The Atlantic humpback dolphin, to be found at Banc d'Arguin and the Bijagos Archipelago, is the only Critically Endangered dolphin species.
• The Irrawaddy Dolphin can be found in both rivers and coastal areas, such as estuaries (notably the Sundarbans).
• The Tucuxi is mostly found in freshwater rivers, but is not a river dolphin. It occurs in the waters of the Central Amazon Conservation Complex.

Any Missing WHS that are known for their Dolphins?

The waters of the Azores and the main islands of Hawaii are top places to spot dolphins. These regions, however, do not have a marine WHS yet.

Do you know of more WHS where Dolphins can be seen?