By: Te’auna Patterson

* Tursiops truncatusBottlenose dolphins

*Body Type

*Short fat snout

*Snout connects to slanted head

*Jaw is similar to under bite

*Upper Body is grey with hints of purple

*White belly, and light grey sides

*Upper Body turns black after death

*76-98 teeth

*Adults may reach 3.5 m

*Two kinds of bottlenose dolphins

*Body Type

*White belly, and light grey sides

*Upper Body turns black after death

*76-98 teeth

*Adults may reach 3.5 m

*Two kinds of bottlenose dolphins

*Fins, Flippers, and Flukes

*Pectoral flippers are similar to land mammals fingers

*Pectoral Flippers are contain thick cartilage in between the bone

*Pectoral Flippers are slightly curved at the tip

*Pectoral Flippers are used to steer

*Pectoral Flippers are used with flukes to stop

*Fins, Flippers, and Flukes

*The blood flow in flippers helps to maintain homeostasis

*Instead of giving off heat into the environment they circulate it from arteries to veins

*In order to cool down blood flow decrease towards the core but increases towards the surface

*Dorsal Fin is made of thick tissue without bones like the flukes

*Fins, Flippers, and Flukes

*Some dolphins do not have a dorsal fin

*Dorsal fins help to keep balance

*Flukes are used to propel the animal

*The size of the flukes is around 1/5 of the dolphins body

*Habitat/ Population

*Dolphins are NOT endangered

*Live in water between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit

*Some migrate seasonally

*Everywhere but polar waters (tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate)

*Habitat/Population

*Some live in deep water or shallower water closer to shore

*There are about 67,000 Bottlenose dolphins in the United States’ Gulf of Mexico

*In the Western North Pacific and along Japanese coasts there are about 35,000

*Habitat/ Population

*The size of the dolphin is based on its’ habitat

*Smaller dolphins are Coastal

*Larger Dolphins are Offshore

*In the Western North Atlantic there are about 11,700

*Food

*Diet depends on habitat

*Coastal dolphins feed on invertebrates

*Deep water Dolphins feed on squid and pelagic fish

*They consume 4-5% of their body weight a day

*Follow fisherman to catch discarded fish or bait

*They swallow their food whole

*Food

*They beach their prey to catch them easier

*They use echolocation to stun prey

*Use teeth to grab prey while tongue moves it down the throat

*In Australia, they put a sponge on their nose to protect it as they forage for food on the bottom of the ocean

*Hearing

*Twice that of humans

*Auditory part of brain is extremely developed

*Frequency range of 1-150 kHz

*Hear best between 40 and 100 kHz

*Hear through their lower jaw

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/bottlenose/communication.htm

*Sight

*Can see in and out of water

*See best in water

*Binocular vision in air

*Have binocular and monocular vision in water

*Have a light reflecting portion that makes it easy to see in dim light

*Reproduction

*Female dolphins initiate courtship

*May breed throughout the year

*“Just before mating, a male rubs and nuzzles a female. he may also exhibit an "S-curve" posture, in which he lifts his head up and points his tail flukes down”

*Calves nurse under water

*Calves nurse for a year and a half

*The dolphin that helps birth the calf is the auntie

*Fun Facts

*Dolphins hold their breath under water

*Their blowhole is their way of breathing

*Breathing takes about .3 seconds

*Their normal breathing consists of taking 2-3 breaths per minute

*Dolphins have blubber that insulates their bodies

*Fun Facts

*Normal body temperature is 98.4'F

*Spend 1/3 of their day asleep

*An ongoing study says that deep sleep occurs in one brain hemisphere at a time

*Groups of dolphins are called pods

*The average pod is seven animals

*Pods are based on age sex and reproduction characteristics

*Fun Facts

*On the US coast pods of mothers and newborn calves are common

*Teen dolphins occur in groups with males and females

*Adult male dolphins travel alone or in groups of 3

*The deeper the water the bigger the pod

*Mother-calf bonds last for a long time

*Fun Facts

*Establish dominance by fighting or smashing their tails on water

*Emit bubble clouds when angry

*Dolphins flirt by biting each other’s heads and scratching teeth

*Dolphins can jump 16 feet in the air

*Fun Facts

*Jumping and landing on their backs or sides is called a breach

*Dolphins help each other when hurt by bringing them to the surface to breathe

*Albino Dolphins can be pink

*Works Cited

*“Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).” The Mammals of Texas. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2011. <http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/ tmot1/ turstrun.htm>.

*Jenkins, Jessica, Phil Meyers, and Tanya Dewey. “Tursiops truncatus: Bottlenosed Dolphin.” Animal Diversity Web. U of Michigan Museum of Zoology, n.d. Web. 8 July 2011. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ site/ accounts/ information/ Tursiops_truncatus.html>.

*Works Cited

*“Bottlenose Dolphins.” Sea World. SeaWorld/ Busch Gardens Animal Information Database, n.d. Web. 8 July 2011. <http://www.seaworld.org/ infobooks/ bottlenose/ home.html>.

*Pictures 1, 2, and 3 also came from this source