Introduction A splash occurs as a creature leaps from the water into the air, arcs of water droplets falling from its bottle-like snout and flippers. This creature is a bottlenose dolphin. I chose the bottlenose dolphin because it is one of the world’s smartest creatures, along with being altruistic and playful towards other dolphins, humans, and even whales. I was inspired to research more about bottlenose dolphins after seeing several dolphins in the ocean while on vacation at Maui, and I wanted to learn more about the lives of these fascinating animals.
The bottlenose dolphin, or Tursiops Truncatus, is part of the Animalia kingdom, which consists of all animals. …show more content…
Their order is Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Bottlenose dolphins are in the Delphinidae family, consisting of moderate toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Their genus is Tursiops, a class of larger dolphins with sickle-shaped dorsal fins and a stubbed snout, and the bottlenose dolphins’ species is Truncatus, which was derived from the word truncate. According to Dictionary.com, the word truncate means “To shorten (something) by cutting off the top or the end. A truncated cone shape.” The species name Truncatus therefore means a species of marine mammals with short, stubby snouts. Bottlenose dolphins are found in nearly all bodies of temperate and tropical oceans. In the Pacific Ocean, bottlenose dolphins can be found from northern Japan to Australia, and from southern California to Chile. They are also found in the eastern tropical Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands. Bottlenose dolphins are also ranging from Nova Scotia to Patagonia and from Norway to the tip of South Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the warm areas of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The bottlenose dolphins’ conservation status is of least concern, because of their high …show more content…
According to the book Whales, Dolphins, and Other Marine Mammals of the World by Hadoram Shirihai and Brett Jarrett (2006) “… the adult's (dolphin) length is between 2.5 and 3.5 m (8.2 and 11.5 ft.) with weight ranging between 200 and 500 kg (440 and 1,100 lb.). Newborn calves are between 0.8 and 1.4 m (2 ft. 7 in and 4 ft. 7 in) long and weigh between 15 and 30 kg (33 and 66 lb.).” However, dolphin sizes vary slightly based on where they live. In general, male bottlenose dolphins are larger and heavier than female dolphins, but other than the size difference, the genders do not have any other differences in appearance. The bottlenose dolphin is named after its bottle- shaped snout, which differentiates it from other dolphin species due to the short and blunt look of the beak. Bottlenose dolphins are also differentiated from other species through their longish flippers, pointed tail flukes, and darker blazes on their backs or shoulders. The bottlenose dolphins’ tail flukes are made of entirely of dense fibrous tissue without any muscle, bone, or even cartilage (connective tissue). They also have a blowhole on their heads, which allows them to breathe. Fast swimming dolphins usually leap out of the water to breathe, but slow swimming dolphins simply swim on the water’s
The bottlenose dolphin, or Tursiops Truncatus, is part of the Animalia kingdom, which consists of all animals. …show more content…
Their order is Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Bottlenose dolphins are in the Delphinidae family, consisting of moderate toothed whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Their genus is Tursiops, a class of larger dolphins with sickle-shaped dorsal fins and a stubbed snout, and the bottlenose dolphins’ species is Truncatus, which was derived from the word truncate. According to Dictionary.com, the word truncate means “To shorten (something) by cutting off the top or the end. A truncated cone shape.” The species name Truncatus therefore means a species of marine mammals with short, stubby snouts. Bottlenose dolphins are found in nearly all bodies of temperate and tropical oceans. In the Pacific Ocean, bottlenose dolphins can be found from northern Japan to Australia, and from southern California to Chile. They are also found in the eastern tropical Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands. Bottlenose dolphins are also ranging from Nova Scotia to Patagonia and from Norway to the tip of South Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the warm areas of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The bottlenose dolphins’ conservation status is of least concern, because of their high …show more content…
According to the book Whales, Dolphins, and Other Marine Mammals of the World by Hadoram Shirihai and Brett Jarrett (2006) “… the adult's (dolphin) length is between 2.5 and 3.5 m (8.2 and 11.5 ft.) with weight ranging between 200 and 500 kg (440 and 1,100 lb.). Newborn calves are between 0.8 and 1.4 m (2 ft. 7 in and 4 ft. 7 in) long and weigh between 15 and 30 kg (33 and 66 lb.).” However, dolphin sizes vary slightly based on where they live. In general, male bottlenose dolphins are larger and heavier than female dolphins, but other than the size difference, the genders do not have any other differences in appearance. The bottlenose dolphin is named after its bottle- shaped snout, which differentiates it from other dolphin species due to the short and blunt look of the beak. Bottlenose dolphins are also differentiated from other species through their longish flippers, pointed tail flukes, and darker blazes on their backs or shoulders. The bottlenose dolphins’ tail flukes are made of entirely of dense fibrous tissue without any muscle, bone, or even cartilage (connective tissue). They also have a blowhole on their heads, which allows them to breathe. Fast swimming dolphins usually leap out of the water to breathe, but slow swimming dolphins simply swim on the water’s