Common dolphin
Delphinus delphis
Superpods of short-beaked common dolphins — sometimes 1,000 to 10,000 animals — create white-water chaos visible from miles away off Newport and Laguna. They are bow-ride regulars and hunt cooperatively, herding fish into tight bait balls before slashing through at speed.
Scale
About 1.2× as long as an average adult is tall.
A common dolphin runs about 7 ft. Drawn beside an average adult human — 5.7 ft standing, the CDC's own U.S. adult average.
Average adult human: 5.7 ft (5 ft 7 in), CDC NHANES U.S. adult average standing height.
Drawn to the same scale. 7 ÷ 5.7 ≈ 1.2.