They are very active and energetic animals and in the traffic congested bay can be seen giving aerial displays using the wakes of ferries and container ships. They are also quite fond of bowriding. These animals are threatened by factors like pollution, noise pollution, and the ever-increasing maritime traffic which accounts for increases in boat strikes. Unfortunately, the greatest threat seems to be driftnets. Cetacean bycatch in driftnets in the Alboran Sea is incredibly high, and it is suggested that if the Southwestern Mediterranean population of common dolphins was not supplemented by dolphins coming in from the Atlantic, the population would become extinct.
