Description:
Dolphin, also known as mahi mahi,  are elongate, compressed fishes, highly prized as both a commercial and recreational species.  The body  is deepest at the head and gills, tapering to a narrow caudal peduncle and high, deeply forked caudal fin.  There is a single dorsal fin, black or blue-black in color, that originates at the eye and extends to the caudal peduncle.   The anal fin is also long, originating at mid-body and extending to the caudal peduncle.  Scales are cycloid.  Adult males have a bony dome at the anterior portion of the head that, along with the short snout, blunts the head profile. The mouth is large and terminal, with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper.  Body color is variable, but typically an iridescent blue to blue-green, marked along the midline and ventrally with bright yellows.  There are usually a number of scattered blotches and spots shaded in gold or bronze. 

Habitat:
Dolphin typically inhabit the surface waters of open oceans.  They are highly migratory, however, and may be found in a variety of locations, including nearshore coastal waters and, occasionally, estuaries and inlet areas. 

Range:
Dolphin have a nearly worldwide distribution in subtropical waters, and have been reported from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, usually between 35ºN - 35ºS latitudes.

In the western Atlantic, they range from Nova Scotia south to Brazil, including Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico.