🗽 North America
Bottlenose Dolphin
Image: Wikipedia
Meet the Animal
Bottlenose dolphins are among the most intelligent animals on Earth - they even have names for each other! Every dolphin develops its own unique whistle that others use to call it. These playful social animals use echolocation to find fish in the dark ocean and they have been observed using tools and teaching skills to their young.
Where in the World
Continent: North America
Countries:
Habitat
Coastal ocean, Open sea, Estuaries, Bays
Diet
Carnivore
Classification
- ↳Kingdom:Animalia
- ↳Class:Mammalia
- ↳Order:Artiodactyla
- ↳Family:Delphinidae
- ↳Common:Mammal / Dolphin
Appearance
Smooth grey body lighter belly and a distinctive rounded forehead with a short beak. Permanent upward curve of the mouth gives a smiling appearance. Streamlined and athletic.
Size: 150-650 kg; 2-4 m long
Young Ones
Called Calf
Calves are born tail-first and can swim immediately. They nurse for 18 months and stay with their mother for 3-6 years. Females have strong lifelong social bonds.
Behaviour
Highly intelligent. Use echolocation to hunt. Each individual has a unique signature whistle like a name. Use sponges as tools to protect snouts while foraging. Have been observed teaching hunting techniques to their young.
🎉 Fun Facts
Every bottlenose dolphin has its own unique name whistle.
They use echolocation - bouncing sound off objects to find fish.
Some dolphins use sea sponges as tools to protect their snouts.
Dolphins sleep with one eye open and half their brain at a time.
They live in complex social groups and form lifelong friendships.