Bottlenose Dolphin

The Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is probably the best-known dolphin in the world. Its popularity is owed to the famous childrens programm „Flipper“, in which this type of dolphin was the protagonist.

Furthermore the Bottlenose dolphin is known to be very friendly with humans, which is the reason why they are used in dolphin therapy for handicapped and autistic children.

Pictures

The Bottlenose dolphin off the coast of La Gomera

Off the Canary Islands you can find Bottlenose dolphins during the entire year, because different populations live here as residents. During our whale watching tours these dolphins show up very often, mostly very playful and lively.

Particularly impressing are their occasional very high jumps, which they use to draw the attention of other members of their school on prey. The females prefer to stay close to the coastal areas, therefore if you are lucky, sometimes you can see them from the beach.

Latest Bottlenose Dolphin sightings

General Informationen

Bottlenose dolphins are between 2,30 and 4,00 metres large. Generally, these active swimmers, weigh between 150 and 300 kilogramms, although there are even bigger ones that can reach a weight up to 500 kilogramms.

Bottlenose dolphins are very adaptable to changing living conditions. Depending on the different prey they find, they adapt their hunting techniques. Only Orcas are smarter hunters. Bottlenose dolphins feed mostly on small fish, squid and invertebrates. They can swim up to 35 kilometers per hour and can dive up to 600 meters deep.

Distinctive features

The robust body of the Bottlenose dolphin is gray with a darker fin and a lighter body underside. The most important feature of these marine mammals is their short beak, which gave them their name.

Distribution

The Bottlenose dolphin is found in all oceans, like the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands. Also they can be found in the Mediterranean Sea. Also, more and more bottlenose dolphins are sighted in the North Sea, although this is not really their natural habitat, since these animals actually prefer warmer waters.

Whales and Dolphins of La Gomera

Popular pages on speedy-gomera.com

Recent sightings off the coast of La Gomera