# Mahi-Mahi / Dolphins vs. real Dolphins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 20, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954 "2002-12-20T02:27:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/41 "2015-01-26T00:19:01Z")
You think that is bad, Imagine my surprise when I ordered Bombay Duck and got a fish. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/42 "2015-01-26T00:26:18Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Zombie mahi-mahi are not called ā€œdorado.ā€ Dorado is the gilt-edge sea bream, sold as ā€œdauradeā€ nowadays because it tastes classier that way. Just like dolphin, dorado is a name given to several different species. The mahi mahi (aka Coryphaena hippurus) is one of them. The Salminus brasiliensis, a fresh water fish from South America, and the Sparus aurata, a Mediterranean species which is also known as the gilt-head bream, are also sometimes called dorados. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/43 "2015-01-26T04:55:46Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > You think that is bad, > > Imagine my surprise when I ordered Bombay Duck and got a fish. > > šŸ˜ƒ Imagine going to England ordering a duck and getting a faggot. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/44 "2015-01-26T05:26:53Z")
Okay, I see this is an old thread here, but we still need to have our little lesson in dolphin family relations. All the whales and dolphins and porpoises belong to the order Cetacea, or Cetaceans. These are divided into the sub-orders of Mysticeti (the baleen whales, Mystacoceti in some older references) and Odontoceti (toothed whales). The Odontoceti are further divided into many families. Of these, there are four families of smaller toothed whales that are commonly called dolphins or porpoises. The terms ā€œdolphinā€ and ā€œporpoiseā€ are informal names, and one will not find any widespread agreement in the literature on how the words are used. [ol][li] Platanistidae. These are the fresh-water river dolphins.[/li][li] Stenidae. This includes the Rough-Toothed dolphin (if youā€™ve been to Sea Life Park in Honolulu, youā€™ve seen these) and several other deep ocean species.[/li][li] Delphinidae. These include the most commonly known dolphins, such as Tursiops (several species bottlenosed dolphins), Lagenorhynchus (several species including Pacific White-Sided dolphin) and many others. The Killer Whale, Orcinus Orca, is in this family. Yes, killer whales are dolphins.[/li][li] Phocoenidae. These are the one most commonly called ā€œporpoiseā€, including the common harbor porpoise.[/ol][/li] But the U. S. Navy, which had an on-going dolphin training program for many years (no idea if they still do), consistently uses the term ā€œporpoiseā€ for all of them. Many other writers have followed this convention just because the Navy does. Other writers seem to think the two words are entirely synonymous, and use them interchangeably. I never encountered any literature that specifically used ā€œdolphinā€ for the Phocoenidae, though. So the most common consensus has always seemed to be that Platanistidae, Stenidae, and Delphinidae are ā€œdolphinsā€ while Phocoenidae are ā€œporpoisesā€. But this usage is not at all universal. ---
**Author:** ![JBGUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JBGUSA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBGUSA)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/45 "2015-01-26T05:45:29Z")
> [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](#): > > But the U. S. Navy, which had an on-going dolphin training program for many years (no idea if they still do), consistently uses the term ā€œporpoiseā€ for all of them. Many other writers have followed this convention just because the Navy does. Other writers seem to think the two words are entirely synonymous, and use them interchangeably. I never encountered any literature that specifically used ā€œdolphinā€ for the Phocoenidae, though. So, whatā€™s the purpose of a porpoise? And more seriously, are Navy Seals considered pinnipeds? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/46 "2015-01-26T07:04:32Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Imagine going to England ordering a duck and getting a faggot. Even worse if it comes with its own hair. (Might be a bit rich for you, anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/47 "2015-01-26T07:33:40Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > Imagine my surprise when I ordered Bombay Duck and got a fish. Here, have some of this Blind Robin instead. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/48 "2015-01-26T08:28:53Z")
@ **JBGUSA** : How did you manage to quote a piece of my post, yet the quote header links it back to somebody elseā€™s post (Post #45 above)? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/49 "2015-01-26T08:36:44Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > @ **JBGUSA** : How did you manage to quote a piece of my post, yet the quote header links it back to somebody elseā€™s post (Post #45 above)? Itā€™s not too difficult. Just go to Helenā€™s Eidolonā€™s post and use the Quote button to create a response with a link. Then delete her text from the link and use copy & paste to insert your text. ---
**Author:** ![JBGUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JBGUSA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBGUSA)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/50 "2015-01-26T16:24:16Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > @ **JBGUSA** : How did you manage to quote a piece of my post, yet the quote header links it back to somebody elseā€™s post (Post #45 above)? Cut and paste magic. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/51 "2015-01-27T01:03:44Z")
> [@JBGUSA](#): > > Cut and paste magic. Iā€™m not a mod but Iā€™m pretty sure they would frown on this. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/52 "2015-01-27T02:45:17Z")
I mean, sure, I could have figured that out. But, why? I assumed it must have happened by accident, and I was wondering how _that_ could have happened. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/53 "2015-01-27T03:49:05Z")
> [@JBGUSA](#): > > Cut and paste magic. **Moderator Note** **JBGUSA** , itā€™s against the rules to change the text within an attributed quote box. I would consider attributing a quote to a different poster to be against this rule. Whether or not you did this deliberately, letā€™s avoid it in the future. No warning issued. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![JBGUSA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/258eb7/32.png) [@JBGUSA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBGUSA)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/54 "2016-01-04T04:00:19Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > **JBGUSA** , itā€™s against the rules to change the text within an attributed quote box. I would consider attributing a quote to a different poster to be against this rule. Whether or not you did this deliberately, letā€™s avoid it in the future. No warning issued. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator I didnā€™t. And would never do that. My apologies. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2016, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954/55 "2016-01-04T04:09:00Z")
> [@JBGUSA](#): > > I didnā€™t. And would never do that. My apologies. **Moderator Note** There was really no need to bump this a year after the fact just to post that. Since we prefer that old threads only be bumped to post new information, Iā€™m going to close this. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mahi-mahi-dolphins-vs-real-dolphins/143954.md?page=2)