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BottIe-nosed dolphin - TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Dolphin": "Dolphin" is an old Greek word for the animal itself.
Location: In all temperate seas.
Habitat: Aquatic. Coastal waters on the continental shelf primarily, but also on the open sea.
Description: The basic color of the bottle-nosed dolphin is a silvery gray. In the southern parts of its range the color tends to be darker. The "beak" is short and the mouth seems to be permanently smiling, and the lower jaw protrudes farther than the upper. There are 23 to 25 teeth on each side of each jaw, each tooth about 1/2 inch across. The dorsal fin has a distinctive triangular shape, angled backwards. Bottle noses grow to about 12 feet in length, and average about 500 lbs - but may reach over 1400 lbs.
Behavior: This is the dolphin best known to the general public, and its exploits and intelligence have received much attention. These dolphins live in pods usually numbering about a dozen individuals but sometimes as many as several hundred will be in one area. They enjoy approaching ships and following them at the same speed for some time. They also like to play, jumping out of the water and splashing. This dolphin can swim at a speed of at least 14 knots (a knot is slightly more than one mile-per-hour) and dive for more than seven minutes. They feed on all types of fish.
Reproduction: Gestation lasts about 12 months, with the delivery of a single calf about 3.5 feet long. It nurses for over a year.
Note: There have been some experiments in training this and other dolphins to perform tasks that might be of practical value to human beings.
Go to the Cetacea Page to learn more about the other whale-like animals.
Go to the Index to compare the various Dolphins found in America Zoo.
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