Bottlenose Dolphin ( Tusiops truncatus )
Bottlenose Dolphin - Bottlenose Dolphin information - Bottlenose Dolphin facts, pictures, photos
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is mammal, order Cetacea. It lives in seas worldwide, mostly in temperate and warm, but can be found also in Artic and Antarctic Ocean.
They are grey and hard to see when swimming. The elongated upper and lower jaws give the animals their name of bottlenose – their face shows a characteristic "smile". The real nose however is the blowhole on top of the head. Adult dolphins are from 2 to 4 metres long and weigh from 150 to 650 kg. In general, dolphins living in warmer waters are smaller than those living in colder waters. Every 5 – 8 minutes dolphins have to rise to surface to breathe, although they do it more often. They eat small fish, sometimes squid, crabs, octopuses or similar small animals that are searched by echolocation – they locate objects by producting sound and listening for the echo.
They live in groups – pods, containing up to 12 animals (there are 3 kinds of pods, usually mothers and their young, juveniles and males). Pods are long term social units. Dolphins are commonly known for their friendly behaviour towards human, although they are predators. Female have one calf – one metre long at birth, after 12 month gestation period. It is born in shallow water and nursed for 12 to 18 months. The young live closely with their mother for up to 6 years.
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