They were once widely hunted for meat and oil (used for lamps and cooking), but today only limited dolphin fishing occurs. Conservationīottlenose dolphins are found in tropical oceans and other warm waters around the globe. Since the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is very rarely recorded in the SVG, we have assumed that non-specimen records of bottlenose dolphins (i.e., identified using only photos and/or information) were the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin. These clever animals are also sometimes spotted following fishing boats in hopes of dining on leftovers. Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are smart, social animals, called bottlenose because of their short, stubby rostrums, or snouts. When dolphins are feeding, that target is often a bottom-dwelling fish, though they also eat shrimp and squid. These sounds travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back to their dolphin senders, revealing the location, size, and shape of their target. They can make up to 1,000 clicking noises per second. Schools have been known to come to the aid of an injured dolphin and help it to the surface.īottlenose dolphins track their prey through the expert use of echolocation. Bottlenose dolphins travel in social groups and communicate with each other by a complex system of squeaks and whistles. They surface often to breathe, doing so two or three times a minute. In the wild, these sleek swimmers can reach speeds of over 18 miles an hour. Their curved mouths give the appearance of a friendly, permanent smile, and they can be trained to perform complex tricks. Bottlenose dolphins are well known as the intelligent and charismatic stars of many aquarium shows.

Common bottlenose dolphin