[6] Also, a dark band runs from the eye to the flipper, bordered above by a thin, light line.

[14] Spinner dolphins of Hawaii are nocturnal feeders and forage in deep scattering layers, which contain many species.

The dwarf spinner dolphin may feed mostly on benthic fish in reefs and shallow water.

[7] Off Oahu, Hawaii, spinner dolphins forage at night and cooperatively herd their prey into highly dense patches.

[16] They are susceptible to parasites, and are known to exhibit both external ones like barnacles and remoras, and internal ones, like nematodes, trematodes, cestodes and acanthocephalans.

[17][18] Spinner dolphins rest as a single unit, moving back and forth slowly in a tight formation but just out of contact with one another.

[20] Vocalizations of spinner dolphins include whistles, which may be used to organize the school, burst-pulse signals, and echolocation clicks.

[5] Although most spinner dolphins are found in the deeper waters offshore of the islands, the rest of the Hawaiʻi population has a more coastal distribution.

During daytime hours, the island-associated stocks of Hawaiian spinner dolphins seek sanctuary in nearshore waters, where they return to certain areas to socialize, rest, and nurture their young.

A spinner dolphin comes out of the water front first and twists its body as it rises into the air.

[22] When it reaches its maximum height, the dolphin descends back into the water, landing on its side.

[18] Tens of thousands of spinner dolphins, mostly eastern and white-bellied varieties, were killed in the 30 years after purse seine fishing for tuna began in the 1950s.

[5] Spinner dolphins, as with other species affected by ETP tuna purse-seine fishing, are managed nationally by the coastal countries and internationally by the IATTC.

The IATTC has imposed annual stock mortality limits on each purse seine and promulgated regulations regarding the safe release of dolphins.

[2] The eastern tropical Pacific and Southeast Asian populations of the spinner dolphin are listed on Appendix II[24] 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 organized by tailored agreements.