In the ETP, Pantropical Spotted Dolphins occur with greatest frequency in waters with a sharp thermocline at depths of less than 50 m, surface temperatures over 25°C, and salinities less than 34 parts per thousand (Perrin and Hohn 1994). In the southwestern Atlantic, they occur primarily in slope and oceanic waters deeper than 850 m (Moreno et al. 2005). Around the main Hawaiian Islands, they occur from shallow near-shore waters to depths of 5,000 m, and there is a peak in sighting rates in water depths from 1,500 to 3,500 m (Baird et al. 2013).

In the ETP and southwestern Indian Ocean, Pantropical Spotted Dolphins commonly occur in multi-species aggregations including Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) (Perrin 2018). These mixed-species associations likely enhance collective vigilance against predators, including large oceanic sharks and other larger species of delphinid cetaceans, that are known to prey on dolphins in some circumstances (Scott and Cattanach 1998, Kiszka et al. 2011b, Scott et al. 2012).Offshore Pantropical Spotted Dolphins in the ETP feed largely on small epipelagic and mesopelagic fishes, squids, and crustaceans that associate with the deep scattering layer (Robertson and Chivers 1997, Scott et al. 2012). In some areas such as the western Indian Ocean, flying fish are also important prey (Kiszka et al. 2011a). The diet of the coastal subspecies is poorly known, but is thought to consist mainly of larger fishes, perhaps mainly bottom-living species (Perrin 2001, 2018). In Taiwanese waters, Pantropical Spotted Dolphins feed on epipelagic and mesopelagic prey, primarily lanternfish and squid (Shomura and Hida 1965, Wang et al. 2012).

Pantropical Spotted Dolphins occur throughout tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. The geographic ranges of the two recognized subspecies are as follows:

Stenella attenuata attenuata – Known by the common name Offshore Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, this subspecies is pantropical and is found in all oceans between about 40°N and 35°S. It is most abundant in the lower-latitude portions of its range. The range extends to some enclosed seas, such as the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, but does not include the Mediterranean Sea (Perrin 2018, Notarbartolo di Sciara et al. 2017, Jefferson et al. 2015). Throughout most their range, Pantropical Spotted Dolphins occur across a variety of oceanic habitats, from outer slopes of coral reefs to open ocean waters (Ballance and Pitman 1998, Kiszka et al. 2011a, Baird et al. 2013). This subspecies is often common around oceanic islands and archipelagos, including the Hawaiian archipelago (Baird et al. 2013), the Marquesas in French Polynesia (Gannier 2002), islands in the Caribbean Sea (Yoshida et al. 2010), as well as around most Indian Ocean islands (Amir et al. 2002, Dulau-Drouot et al. 2008, Kiszka et al. 2010, 2011a). In the ETP, genetic evidence using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms suggests there are two offshore populations (Leslie and Morin 2016).

Stenella attenuata graffmani – Known by the common name Coastal Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, this subspecies is known only from continental shelf waters (<200 km wide) along the Pacific coast of Latin America, from southern Mexico to Peru (Perrin 2001, Escorza-Treviño et al. 2005). Recent genetic data suggest there are several subpopulations of this subspecies (Escorza-Treviño et al. 2005).