🐬 A world in the atlas

Dolphins

Most dolphins are stable, but river dolphins and the vaquita are critical.

← The Atlas
Dolphins

PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA, CC BY-SA

Least ConcernLeast ConcernExtinct

The picture

Most ocean dolphins are doing relatively well, but several river dolphins and the vaquita porpoise are among the most endangered mammals on Earth. Dolphins are highly social and use signature whistles like names.

The science

Family Delphinidae. Dolphins use echolocation - bouncing sound off objects - to hunt and navigate.

In numbers

critically fewVaquita left

Worth repeating at dinner

Dolphins call each other with individual “signature whistles.”

- WCS

The vaquita is the world’s most endangered marine mammal.

- IUCN

What they face

Bycatch

Gillnets drown dolphins and porpoises like the vaquita.

IUCN

Pollution & noise

Chemicals and underwater noise harm coastal dolphins.

NOAA

What is already working

Gillnet bans

Emergency net-free zones aim to save the vaquita.

Reasons for hope

Protected zones

Dedicated reserves give the rarest porpoises a chance.

Meet them

Common bottlenose dolphinOrcaSpinner dolphinAmazon river dolphinHector's dolphin

Small actions that reach them

Choose sustainable seafood
Overfishing and bycatch threaten sharks, turtles and fish stocks.
~10 min
Refuse one single-use plastic
8M+ tonnes of plastic enter the ocean yearly, harming turtles, seabirds and whales.
~2 min
Sign a science-backed petition
Public pressure shifts policy on protected areas and trade bans.
~3 min
Vet a wildlife attraction before booking
Millions of tourists fund animal cruelty by accident - five minutes of checking (rides? touching? shows? breeding?) is all it takes to spot it.
~10 min

People doing the big work

WWF ↗WCS ↗

Hopeling is also a pocket companion: one fact, one small act a day. Open the app