The Bottlenose Dolphin

By: Carl Myers

ClassificationKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: MammaliaOrder: CetaceaFamily: DelphinidaeGenus: TursiopsSpecies: Truncatus

Scientific Name: Tursiops truncatus

Tursiops means “dolphin like”

Bottlenose Dolphin Relations

Orca Hector Dolphin Spinner

Dolphin False Killer Whale

Narwal Beluga Baiji

Physical Characteristics• The size of the bottlenose dolphins is different in some

locations.

• The Sarasota, Florida bottlenose dolphin is two point five to 2.7m (8.281ft.) long.

• The Pacific Ocean bottlenose dolphin is 3.7m (12) ft. long. • The male bottlenose dolphin is slightly larger than the female.

• 400-500 lbs.

DistributionBottlenose Dolphins live in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Seas.

They also live in thee Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Habitat• Bottlenose dolphins habitat is anywhere there is food and

temperate waters

• 10° to 32°C (50°-90° F). They thrive in the mid-Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

• They even live in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea in Europe

Conservation Status• According to the ICUN Red list the bottlenose dolphin is of least

concern.• The bottlenose dolphin population is increasing.

• One of the ways dolphins get killed is by pollution.

• Bottlenose dolphin calves get 80% of their mothers toxins.

Reproduction

• Female bottlenose dolphins start having calves when they are about 7-13 years old.

• A female bottlenose dolphin has about 6-7 kids.

• Female bottlenose dolphins choose the male by who is the strongest and most “in charge”

Parental Care• Bottlenose dolphin calves are born tail first usually.

• The dad leaves the mom to take care of the calf.

• The calf stays with its mother for 6 years or more.

Longevity and Mortality

• Typically Bottlenose Dolphins live 20 years or less.

• They usually live 25 years in captivity.

• Some female Bottlenose Dolphins live to be 50 years old.

• Female Bottlenose Dolphins live longer than males.

Seasonal Patterns• Bottlenose Dolphins migrate wherever there is warm water.

• Some times they stay in a “home range”

• A home range is the area a dolphin or group of dolphins stay.

• They do not undergo torpor.

DietBottlenose Dolphins eat a variety of food including,

squid Octopus

Fish Shrimp

Predator RelationshipsHumans rarely kill bottlenose dolphins.

Sadly there was a large problem in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea where fishers were wiping out the population.

The only other predator to the bottlenose dolphin is parasites and sharks.

Made by a shark

Human RelationshipsThe bottlenose dolphin has had a human relationship like no other to the human.

• They have saved lives• Are in shows we can see at Sea World• Are used in the army

Fun Facts• Dolphins communicate using squeaks, grunts, and clicks.

• Bottlenose Dolphins never fully sleep.

• Dolphins use echolocation to hunt

• They are extremely smart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0v01Xmnp9Y

Works Cited Works CitedAmerican Cetacean Society. American Cetacean Society, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/bottlenose-dolphin/>.Animals. Seaworld, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://seaworld.org/>.Cahill, Tim. Dolphins. Washington D. C.: National Geographic Society, [2000?]. Print.Martin, Richard Mark. Mammals of the Oceans. New York City: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1977. Print.National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/bottlenose-dolphin/?source=A-to-Z>.Nuzzolo, Deborah. Bottlenose Dolphin Training and Interaction. San Diego: Sea World, 2003. Print.Oracle: ThinkQuest. Thinkquest Team 17963, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. <http://library.thinkquest.org/17963/genus-Tursiops.html>.Reynolds, John E., Randall S. Wells, and Samantha D. Eide. The Bottlenose Dolphin: Biology and Conservation. Gainesville: U P of Florida, 2000. Print.Samuels, Amy. Follow That Fin: Studying Dolphin Behavior. Austin: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2000. Print.Schomp, Virginia. The Bottlenose Dolphin. New York City: Dillon, 1994. Print.

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