Adult Stenella dolphins are easily identified by the numerous spots covering their body, hence their common name, spotted dolphins. Juvenile spotted dolphins, however, look almost identical to the well-known bottlenose dolphins, i.e., completely lacking spots. Spotting develops with age in all populations and is most extensive in large adults. The degree of spotting decreases eastward in the Atlantic and westward in the Pacific. In general, the spotting is heaviest in the coastal forms off both North American coasts.
Spotted dolphins are vigorous swimmers, frequently hurling themselves high into the air.
They often make a series of amazingly high leaps, fairly hanging in the air for seconds before falling with a splat. There are more Gulf records of Atlantic spotted dolphins than there are for any other species of offshore cetacean. Atlantic spotters migrate inshore in spring, often approaching close to shore, where they overlap with bottlenose dolphins. One interesting finding of this species is the low number of strandings associated with them. Almost all records of Atlantic spotted dolphins are of sightings or captures.