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Common name: Bottlenose dolphins
Bottlenose dolphins can reach lengths up to 12 feet and weigh up to 600 lb. Newborns are 42-48 inches long and weigh 25 to 40 pounds.
Bottlenose dolphins are found all over the world in temperate and tropical oceans (in other words, not polar). They are found both near- and off-shore.
They eat a variety of fish and squid and other invertebrates.
Bottlenose dolphins are sometimes hunted by large sharks (tiger, dusky
and bull, for example) and killer whales.
A bottlenose dolphin can stay under water for about 10 minutes. Usually, they dive up to
150 feet, however, one trained dolphin, named Tuffy,
went as deep as 1,795 ft, but that's not considered a typical depth.
Bottlenose dolphins live an average of 20 years. Some less, some more. Some may live as
long as 40 years, but that is a maximum. (Just like some people live to 100, but not
many.)
Photos courtesy of Southwest Fisheries Science Center/
NOAA Fisheries Service
Citation: Musgrave, Ruth A. Bottlenose Dolphins. Fishin' for Facts. WhaleTimes, Inc. (whaletimes.org) 2011
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