The skull remained unstudied until 1956 when Francis Fraser[3][5] examined it and concluded that it was similar to species in both the genera Lagenorhynchus and Delphinus but not the same as either.

A dirty cream-colored line runs along the flanks from the beak, above the eye, to the anus.

From a distance, however, it may be confused with the striped dolphin, which has a similar coloration and is found in the same regions.

The sight of seeing a large group fleeing from a fishing vessel has been reported as "very dramatic".

However these are regarded as anomalous and possibly due to unusual oceanographic conditions, such as El Niño.

The species is also relatively common in the Gulf of Mexico but less so in the rest of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Southeast Asian populations of Fraser's dolphins are listed on Appendix II [6] of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), since they have an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.