Another seasonal visitor off Gran Canaria is the Atlantic spotted dolphin.
This species may be an intermediary between the bottlenose dolphin and the pantropical spotted dolphin.
As the name suggests, many individuals, though not all, are patterned with spots.
All calves are born unspotted, but some will develop spots as they grow older.
Some dolphins become so heavily spotted that they seem white from a distance.
They can dive up to 200 feet (sixty meters) in depth and stay underwater for up to six minutes.
The Atlantic spotted dolphin indulges in acrobatics and play at every opportunity.
You can be entertained by them riding the bow wave of your boat and frequently leaping out of the water.
