What unites this diverse group of oceanic dolphins is their common behavior. Unlike porpoises, which tend to be slower swimmers and rarely perform out-of-water stunts, dolphins are, for the most part, powerful swimmers, and they seem to enjoy bow/wake riding, breaching, porpoising, lobtailing, and other acrobatic displays. Even Commerson’s Dolphin, whose short, stocky body is often mistaken for that of a porpoise, is much more active, swimming upside-down at great speed and surfing in waves close to the shore.
