Atlantic Spotted Dolphin Research Paper

The Atlantic spotted dolphin is a mammal that is a part of the cetacean family. When it comes to appearance, these dolphins have a grayish skin color with dark and light spots scattered all around the body. When they are born, they are just gray, however as they get older they begin to form spot which appear to increase in number as they get older. Once the Atlantic spotted dolphin is fully matured, it will reach a maximum length of 7 ½ ft and can way over 300 pounds. The females usually weigh 20 pounds less than the males. Their body is designed for fast swimming and acrobatic performances. The Atlantic spotted dolphins diet consists of small fish, squid and octopus. When hunting for food, these dolphins make dives of 30 ft or less, however they can be seen reaching up to 200 ft or more. The Atlantic spotted dolphin can be found living in tropical climates all year round and prefer living around ant coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Nobody is sure how long these mammals live but it is guessed to be about 30 to 40 years. This is sure not as long as humans live. Some nonliving thing that live in that exist in the Atlantic Ocean are sand, rocks, obviously water, and sunken ships. Some living things that live in the Atlantic Ocean are manatees, sea lions, humpback whales, Atlantic ghost crab, starfish, …show more content…
They adapted to the aquatic environment when it was free from boats, pollution, noise, and fishing. Some threats to the Atlantic spotted dolphin in habitat degradation, boat traffic, and fishing interactions. Humans have exploited the of the ecosystem. Marine mammals utilize the environment for resting, and socializing. An example of habitat degradation is commercial and recreational vessels. These vessels pollute the water by oil spills, sewage, gas drilling and construction. The people need to realize that there are animals under them trying to