Home / Marine Life / Dolphins
Marine Life · Cetaceans
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Least Concern
Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals found in oceans worldwide, known for complex social behavior, playful acrobatics, and sophisticated echolocation used to hunt and navigate. The bottlenose dolphin is the most familiar species, common along coastlines and in warmer waters around the globe.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Parvorder: Odontoceti (toothed whales)
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Tursiops
Species: truncatus
Related species: Orca, spinner & common dolphins — family Delphinidae
Size
6–13 ft long, depending on population.
Weight
300–1,400 lbs.
Habitat
Ocean and coastal waters worldwide; some related species inhabit large rivers.
Description
A streamlined gray body, curved dorsal fin, and a short, rounded snout or "bottlenose."
Diet
Fish, squid and crustaceans, hunted using echolocation.
Diving ability
Can dive to depths over 1,600 feet, though most feeding dives are far shallower.
Communication
Clicks, whistles and body language; each dolphin develops a unique "signature whistle."
Social structure
Live in social groups called pods, often cooperating to hunt and defend one another.
Gestation
About 12 months.
Birth & Calf
A single calf, nursed for up to 2 years and often kept close to its mother for several more.
Sexually Mature
5–13 years, varying by sex and population.
Life Span
40–60 years in the wild.
Did You Know?
Dolphins sleep with one half of their brain at a time so they can keep breathing and stay alert to predators.
Did You Know?
Bottlenose dolphins can dive to depths of over 1,600 feet in pursuit of prey.
Did You Know?
Each dolphin develops its own unique "signature whistle," used like a name to identify itself to others in its pod.
Types of Dolphins
Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus — most familiar coastal species
Tursiops truncatus — most familiar coastal species
Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis — travels in large, fast-moving pods
Delphinus delphis — travels in large, fast-moving pods
Spinner Dolphin
Stenella longirostris — known for aerial spinning leaps
Stenella longirostris — known for aerial spinning leaps
Orca (Killer Whale)
Orcinus orca — largest member of the dolphin family
Orcinus orca — largest member of the dolphin family
Amazon River Dolphin
Inia geoffrensis — pink-hued freshwater species
Inia geoffrensis — pink-hued freshwater species
Dolphin in Foreign Languages
Frenchdauphin
GermanDelfin
Italiandelfino
Portuguesegolfinho
Spanishdelfín
Russiandel’fin
Polishdelfin
Japaneseiruka
Mandarinhǎitún
Koreandolgorae
Dutchdolfijn
Swedishdelfin
Norwegiandelfin
Finnishdelfiini
