6149-Dolphin 31cm.L

Bottlenose Dolphin

Description The Bottlenose dolphin is an intelligent marine mammal that can be trained to perform tricks in shows. These creatures inhabit all oceans with the exception of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. They have an excellent swimming ability and can move as fast as 18 miles per hour and leap as high as 6 meters. In addition, Bottlenose dolphins can make over a thousand high frequency clicking sounds per second and use echolocation to find their prey. Aside from the location of their target, this method can also reveal the shape, size, and distance of the object that they encounter. According to experts, this marine animal has a keen sense of hearing. The sounds that they receive travel through their lower jaw to reach their inner ear, before getting analyzed by their brain. In addition, Bottlenose dolphins have good sense of sight and can see in dim light because of the reflecting membrane called tapetum lucidum located at the back of their retina. Normally, dolphins live in groups and communicate by generating squeaks and whistles. Moreover, they also use body language for communication in the form of butting heads, hitting the water with their tail, among others. Bottlenose dolphins are categorized as carnivorous and their favorite food is fish. However, they may also feed on squid, shrimp, and crabs.

Status According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Bottlenose dolphin is classified as Least Concern. While there are no major threats that may put this species at risk for extinction, they are vulnerable to hunting, degradation of habitat, and incidental catch.