Classification: All Bottlenose Dolphins are classified as Tursiops truncatus, which is derived from the Latin and Greek words for 'porpoise' and 'face'. Though there are a number of external differences between populations from various parts of the globe, no subspecies are currently recognised, and any such differences are thought to be because of varying environmental conditions.
Local Names: Grey Dolphin; Black Dolphin; Bottlenose Porpoise; Cowfish; Bottle-Nosed Dolphin; Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin; Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin.
Description: Made famous by the television show Flipper, the Bottlenose Dolphin is a large, robust animal with a slightly hooked broad dorsal fin. Size and some physical characteristics vary according to the distribution of each individual. In smaller forms, the well-known bottle-shaped beak is shorter and slender. It broadens as the body size increases. In some populations the melon is more rounded. Body colour also varies; the dorsal cape ranges from dark blue to brown-grey, fading to a pale grey along the flanks. The ventral surface is white-pink, and the tip of the snout is normally white. Tail flukes and the flippers' edges are grey-black. Dark lines from melon to eye and eye to flipper can also be seen. Some populations are spotted, or a dark grey-black. The Bottlenose Dolphin measures between 1.9m and 4m, weighing 90-650kg.
Recognition at sea: The Bottlenose Dolphin cannot really be confused with other species - for instance, the spotted variety is more bulky in appearance than other mottled species, such as the Pantropical and Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. The broad dorsal cape and shorter snout should discern this animal from the Rough-Toothed Dolphin, which has a more cone-shaped head. In coastal waters, the size and shape of the dorsal fin should be enough to distinguish between the Bottlenose Dolphin and other local species, such as the Tuxuci, which has a more triangular fin.
Habitat: Bottlenose Dolphins are both a coastal and oceanic species, with the former preferring waters of less than 30m in depth. The habitats they occupy is diverse, ranging from rocky reefs to calm lagoons and open waters.
Food & Feeding: Bottlenose Dolphins tend to prefer shoaling and bottom-dwelling species, feasting upon a wide variety of fish, squid and octopi. Cuttlefish are also taken.
Behaviour: Bottlenose Dolphins have been reported individually, in groups of between 10-100 inshore and units of several hundred offshore. They are powerful swimmers and acrobatic in nature, often bowriding and leaping alongside vessels.
Longevity: At least 30 years (approximately).
Estimated Current Population: Unknown, but locally common.
The Influence of Man: Coastal populations are taken either for food or in competition for fish resources in the West Indies, Japan and West Africa, to name but a few. The Black Sea population has been reduced drastically by continuous hunting by Turkey and Russia. Bottlenose Dolphins are also prone to entrapment in fishing gear, particularly in gillnets. Like all other cetaceans, this dolphin is vulnerable to the effects of pollution. The Bottlenose Dolphin responds well to captivity, and has become a well-known tourist attraction with its 'smile'. Indeed, because of the television series Flipper, this species is what most people think of when they hear the word 'dolphin'.
