ABSTRACT
The Delphinidae Family of odontocete cetaceans includes about 30 species of small (< 4 m long) toothed whales generally termed dolphins, and four species of larger (4 to 6 m long) toothed whales. The smaller members of the family include the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, the common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, and several species of the genera Lagenorhynchus and Stenella. The larger members include the killer whale, Orcinus orca, and the pilot whales, Globicephala sp. (Leatherwood, Reeves, & Foster, 1983). The family is therefore represented by a large and relatively diverse group of mammals, having different modes of living and probably several different social systems as well. A brief review such as this can only provide examples of the better known feeding strategies of a few species, and I wish to emphasize that I make no attempt at an exhaustive survey of the family. It will become apparent, 1 hope, that some species have quite variable feeding behaviors, and some feed in complex cooperative ways which we are only beginning to understand.
