Common Name: Bottlenose Dolphin
Scientific Name: Tursiops truncatus
Description: Obtaining its name from its beak like snout, the Bottlenose Dolphin is primarily gray, darker gray near the head and lighter towards the tale. Their underside it a very light gray or white. Bottlenose Dolphins have a distinctive dorsal fin that is located immediately behind their blowhole.
Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Tursiops
Maximum Size: 400cm
Habitat & Range: Bottlenose Dolphins are often found in shallow inland and coastal waters. They can often be found in lagoons and rivers as well as near tropical reef. They are found throughout the world in warm and temperate waters.
Diet: Bottlenose Dolphins live on a diet of approximately 6-7 kilograms (12-15 pounds) of shrimp, squid, eels, and small fish a day..
Lifespan: Females live to approximately 40 years of age while males live to approximately 30.
Predators: Despite their main predator being large sharks, Bottlenose Dolphins seem quite adept at defending themselves from even the largest predators as they travel in pods and have been known to overcome large sharks. There have been few cases of dolphins being attacked by Orcas.
Red List Status: Data Deficient
Sources:
Bottlenose Dolphin (2008, June 14) MarineBio
Tursiops.org (2008, June 14) Tursiops.org