Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Protected Status
CITES Appendix II
Throughout Its Range
MMPA Protected
Throughout Its Range
MMPA Depleted
Western North Atlantic Central Florida Coastal stock,
Western North Atlantic Northern Florida Coastal stock,
Western North Atlantic Northern Migratory Coastal stock,
Western North Atlantic South Carolina-Georgia Coastal stock,
Western North Atlantic Southern Migratory Coastal stock
Quick Facts
Weight
300 to 1,400 pounds
Lifespan
40 to 60 years
Length
6 to 13 feet
Threats
Entanglement,
Illegal feeding and harassment,
Habitat degradation,
Noise,
Chemical contaminants,
Oil spills and energy exploration,
Disease,
Biotoxins,
Vessel collisions
Location
New England/Mid-Atlantic,
Pacific Islands,
Southeast,
West Coast
About the Species
Common bottlenose dolphins (referred to hereafter simply as bottlenose dolphins) are found throughout the world in both offshore and coastal waters, including harbors, bays, gulfs, and estuaries of temperate and tropical waters (estuaries are the areas where rivers meet the sea). They are one of the most studied and well-known marine mammals in the wild. In addition, they are easy to view in the wild because they live close to shore and are distributed throughout coastal and estuarine waters. But this puts dolphins at increased risk of human-related injuries and death. They are a highly intelligent species and use sound both for communication and to hunt for food.
Bottlenose dolphins in the United States are not endangered or threatened, but they are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. They are vulnerable to many stressors and threats including disease, biotoxin, pollution, habitat alteration, vessel collisions, human feeding of and activities causing harassment, interactions with commercial and recreational fishing, energy exploration and oil spills, and other types of human disturbance (such as underwater noise).
NOAA Fisheries helps conserve bottlenose dolphins through collaborative management, integrated science, partnerships, and outreach. Our scientists use a variety of innovative techniques to study, protect, and rescue bottlenose dolphins in distress (e.g., disentanglement response and strandings). We facilitate collaborative approaches to better understand impacts to bottlenose dolphins and their habitat. Our work helps reduce harmful effects of human activities (such as fisheries interactions, noise, and pollution) through effective management actions based on sound science, public input, and public outreach.
Status
NOAA Fisheries estimates population size for each stock of bottlenose dolphins in its stock assessment reports. A stock is a group of animals that occupy the same area and interbreed. In all, 61 stocks of common bottlenose dolphins have been identified in U.S. waters. Population trends for many of the U.S. stocks are unknown. Five stocks along the Atlantic Coast are considered depleted under the MMPA and 46 stocks along the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico are considered strategic.
Protected Status
CITES Appendix II
- Throughout Its Range
MMPA Protected
- Throughout Its Range
MMPA Depleted
- Western North Atlantic Central Florida Coastal stock
- Western North Atlantic Northern Florida Coastal stock
- Western North Atlantic Northern Migratory Coastal stock
- Western North Atlantic South Carolina-Georgia Coastal stock
- Western North Atlantic Southern Migratory Coastal stock
Appearance
Common bottlenose dolphins get their name from their short, thick snout (or rostrum). They are generally gray in color. They can range from light gray to almost black on top near their dorsal fin and light gray to almost white on their belly. Bottlenose dolphins living in nearshore coastal waters are often smaller and lighter in color than those living offshore.
Behavior and Diet
Bottlenose dolphins may travel alone or in groups, and the groups continually break apart and reform. Their travel is characterized by persistent movement in a consistent direction. When they are resting, it may appear that they are traveling. Resting is often characterized by tight group formations, slow movement, and intervals of methodical breathing.
They use breeding, playing, aggression, and gentle body contact (such as rubbing) as ways to have social interactions with one another. Calves maintain what is called “baby position” while swimming. The mom surfaces first, and the calf surfaces slightly after and behind its mother.
Bottlenose dolphins can thrive in many environments and feed on a variety of prey, such as fish, squid, and crustaceans (e.g., crabs and shrimp). They use different techniques to pursue and capture prey, searching for food individually or cooperatively. For example, they can work to bring fish together into groups (herding). They then take turns charging through the schools to feed. They may also trap schools of fish against sand bars and seawalls for an easy dinner. They also use passive listening and/or high frequency echolocation to locate prey.
Instead of using their teeth to chew, dolphins grip fish with their teeth, then swallow the fish whole—head first—so the spines of the fish don't catch in their throats.
Where They Live
Bottlenose dolphins are found in temperate and tropical waters around the world. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, including harbors, bays, gulfs, and estuaries, as well as nearshore coastal waters, deeper waters over the continental shelf, and even far offshore in the open ocean. In the United States, bottlenose dolphins are found along the West Coast off California, Oregon, and Washington, and in the Hawaiian islands. They are also found in coastal and offshore waters along the East Coast from New York to Florida, throughout the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean. Worldwide, bottlenose dolphins can be found in the Mediterranean and Black seas, as well as the southwestern Indian Ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, they range from northern Japan and central California to Australia and Chile. In the Atlantic Ocean, they range from at least as far north as Georges Bank (off Massachusetts) and the British Isles to Tierra del Fuego (in Argentina) and northern Namibia.
Lifespan & Reproduction
Bottlenose dolphins can live at least 40 years, with some females outliving males at 60 years or more. They generally begin to reproduce when they are between 5 and 15 years old, with the exact age varying by population. Female bottlenose dolphins can reach sexual maturity before males. Females are pregnant for about 12 months. Once calves are born, they nurse for up to 20 months and generally stay with their mothers for 3 to 6 years. On average, females give birth every 3 to 6 years. Females as old as 45 have given birth.
Threats
Bottlenose dolphins are exposed to a variety of human-caused and natural threats and stressors. Some of the most pressing threats are discussed below.
Interactions with Fishing Gear
One of the main threats to bottlenose dolphins is getting caught in fishing gear. Dolphins can become entangled or captured in commercial fishing gear such as gillnets, seines, trawls, trap pots, and longlines.
In addition to interactions with commercial fisheries, dolphins may also encounter rod-and-reel gear used by recreational anglers or for-hire fishing vessels (such as charter boats and headboats). This problem is increasing, especially in the southeast United States and is largely the result of dolphins taking the bait and the catch directly from fishing gear, eating discarded fish, or being fed fish (illegally) by humans causing them to associate anglers with food. These interactions can cause dolphins to be injured or killed by entanglement in or ingestion of the gear. In addition, fishermen sometimes become frustrated when dolphins take their catch, and can retaliate with violence towards dolphins.
Habitat Destruction and Degradation
Common bottlenose dolphins living near shore are also susceptible to habitat destruction and degradation by contaminants and oil spills. For example, dolphins living in areas with high levels of PCBs were shown to have impacts to their immune systems. Dolphins in areas affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill were found to have compromised immune systems and decreased reproductive success (PDF, 685 pages). In addition to chemical contamination, physical habitat degradation due to shoreline development and increased boat traffic is also of concern.
Biotoxins
Several common bottlenose dolphin die-offs have occurred in recent years, linked to harmful algal blooms such as red tide. Several HABs (or several HAB-related die-offs) have been confirmed along the coast of Florida and others were suspected elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. Dolphins can be exposed to HAB toxins through the air or by eating contaminated prey. Biotoxin exposure can lead to both acute and more chronic health issues for dolphins.
Illegal Harassment and Feeding Activities
Bottlenose dolphins are easy to view in the wild, but this also puts them at increased risk of human-related injuries and death. Feeding and attempting to feed dolphins is harmful and illegal because it changes their natural behaviors and reduces their wariness of people and vessels. They learn to associate humans with an easy meal and change their natural hunting practices by begging for handouts and taking bait/catch directly off fishing gear. Dolphins also teach these unnatural and risky feeding strategies to their calves and other dolphins. Dolphins are then more vulnerable to vessel strikes and to fishing gear entanglements and ingestion. They also may fall victim to extreme retaliatory acts (such as shooting) by frustrated boaters and fishermen.
Dolphins may also be disturbed or harassed by the presence of humans and watercraft. Harassment is illegal and occurs when any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance has the potential to injure the animal or disrupt its s behaviors. Any human-caused change to a dolphin’s behavior may constitute disturbance or harassment. Certain critical survival behaviors are particularly vulnerable, and disturbance may lead to injuries or death. Long-term negative impacts include compromised health, reduced reproductive success, and displacement from, or avoidance of, important habitats.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia | Phylum | Chordata | Class | Mammalia | Order | Cetartiodactyla | Family | Delphinidae | Genus | Tursiops | Species | truncatus |
|---|
What We Do
Conservation & Management
All bottlenose dolphins are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Some specific stocks in need of additional protections are designated as depleted or strategic. Our work supports the protection and conservation of bottlenose dolphins by:
-
Reducing interactions with commercial and recreational fishing gear.
-
Minimizing harassment and illegal feeding.
-
Responding to dead, injured, or entangled dolphins.
-
Encouraging responsible viewing of wild dolphins.
-
Minimizing the effects of vessel disturbance, noise, and other types of human impacts.
Science
NOAA Fisheries conducts research on the biology, behavior, and ecology of bottlenose dolphins to better inform management and policy. Examples include:
-
Undertaking stock assessments to determine the status of populations and/or sub-populations
-
Investigating unusual mortality events and strandings.
-
Examining population structure, abundance, and dynamics using a variety of research techniques including photo-identification and genetics.
-
Conducting natural resource damage assessments.
How You Can Help
Prevent Rod-and-Reel Interactions
Serious and sometimes fatal dolphin injuries are on the rise from interactions with rod-and-reel fishing gear and boats. Here are some tips to prevent injuries to dolphins:
Never feed or attempt to feed wild dolphins or throw trash in the water.
Reuse or share leftover bait.
Reel in your line if dolphins are near.
Change locations if dolphins show interest in bait or catch.
Learn how to prevent injuries to dolphins when you are fishing (PDF) >
Keep Your Distance
Be responsible when viewing marine life in the wild.
Observe all dolphins and porpoises from a safe distance of at least 50 yards and limit your time spent observing to 30 minutes or less.
Don't Feed Wild Dolphins
Dolphins fed by humans lose their natural wariness and learn to associate people with food, causing them to beg for handouts and take bait and catch directly from fishing gear. This puts them at risk from vessel strikes and becoming entangled in or ingesting fishing gear. Dolphins may teach these behaviors to their young, thereby putting them at risk.
Report a Violation
Call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964 to report a federal marine resource violation. This hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days week for anyone in the United States.
You may also contact your closest NOAA Office of Law Enforcement field office during regular business hours.
Featured News
Related Species
Management Overview
Bottlenose dolphins are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Five stocks in coastal waters of the western North Atlantic are listed as depleted under the MMPA. Forty-six stocks in the Gulf of Mexico and western North Atlantic are also listed as strategic under the MMPA. To learn which stocks are designated depleted and strategic, review the stock assessment reports for common bottlenose dolphin.
Although bottlenose dolphins live along the coast throughout the United States, our conservation and management work primarily focuses on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. Many stocks in these areas are listed as depleted and strategic and are exposed to numerous threats.
Pair of bottlenose dolphins. Photo: NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center/Lisa Morse.
Conservation Efforts
Reducing Interactions with Fishing Gear
Bycatch in fishing gear is a leading cause of common bottlenose dolphin deaths and injuries. To reduce deaths and serious injuries of bottlenose dolphins from certain commercial fisheries in the western North Atlantic, NOAA Fisheries implemented the Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan. Representatives from NOAA, the fishing industry, regional fishery management councils, state and federal resource management agencies, the scientific community, and conservation organizations worked together to develop the plan. The plan includes regulations, such as seasonal gillnet restrictions, gear proximity requirements, and gear length restrictions. It also requires the use of modified pound net leaders for offshore Virginia pound nets in specified waters of the lower mainstem Chesapeake Bay and coastal state waters.
Learn more about bycatch and fisheries interactions
Reducing Rod-and-Reel Interactions
Interactions between dolphins and rod-and-reel fishing gear used by recreational anglers are increasing. Dolphins can be injured or killed by entanglement in or ingestion of the gear, or may fall victim to retaliation from frustrated fishermen. NOAA Fisheries is working to better understand and characterize the frequency, geographic extent, and magnitude of these interactions. We are also working with researchers to identify and evaluate ways to safely and effectively reduce the potential for these interactions.
Minimizing Harassment and Illegal Feeding
As human interactions with wild dolphins increase, so does the risk of disturbing or injuring these animals. NOAA Fisheries provides guidance on how to safely and responsibly view dolphins, including the following initiatives:
Learn more about the rules regarding feeding and harassing marine mammals in the wild
Addressing Ocean Noise
Sound pollution threatens dolphin populations by interrupting their normal behavior and driving them away from areas important to their survival. Increasing evidence suggests that exposure to intense underwater sound in some settings may cause some dolphins to strand and ultimately die.
NOAA Fisheries is investigating all aspects of acoustic communication and hearing in marine animals, as well as the effects of sound on dolphin behavior and hearing. In 2016, we issued technical guidance for assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammal hearing.
Overseeing Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response
Bottlenose dolphins are often found sick, injured, entangled, or dead in the water or along the coast. We work with volunteer networks in all coastal states to respond to marine mammal strandings. Bottlenose dolphins are the most commonly stranded species in the Southeast United States and also strand in the Northeast and West Coast. When stranded animals are found alive, NOAA Fisheries and our volunteer network partners assess the animal’s health, to determine if it may be a candidate for rehabilitation at a NOAA authorized facility. When stranded animals are found dead—as is usually the case—our scientists work to understand and investigate the cause of death.
Strandings provide scientists and managers with important information on the biology and health of marine mammals and, in turn, the health of our marine ecosystems. They provide basic information on the biology and ecology of marine mammal species, such as an animal’s range, age, the types of prey it consumes, and the occurrence of diseases within populations. In fact, some marine mammal species are known only from stranded specimens. Strandings also provide important information on human impacts to marine mammals. Data collected from stranded animals teach us about interactions between marine mammals and fisheries, vessels, or marine debris. Samples collected from stranded marine mammals also provide information on marine pollution. For example, a dolphin that may have high levels of chemical contaminants in their body could have direct implications for human health, as they consume many of the same fish that we do.
Learn more about stranding response
Implementing the Dolphin-Safe/Tuna Tracking and Verification Program
Dolphins, like other marine mammals, may become bycatch in fisheries. Some species of tuna are known to aggregate beneath schools of certain dolphin stocks. In some parts of the world, this close association led to the fishing practice of encircling a dolphin school to capture the tuna concentrated below. The Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act established a national tuna tracking program to ensure that tuna imported into the United States meets certain requirements to ensure the safety of dolphins during tuna fishing operations.
Learn more about the Dolphin-Safe/Tuna Tracking and Verification Program
Regulatory History
All bottlenose dolphins are protected under the MMPA. NOAA Fisheries has listed five stocks as depleted and 46 stocks as strategic.
In 1999, the United States signed on as a Party to the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program. In addition to other requirements, the AIDCP mandates the establishment of an international tuna tracking program for tuna caught in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
The International Dolphin Conservation Program Act (PDF, 5 pages) amended the MMPA to make the objectives and requirements of the AIDCP legally effective in the United States.
Regulatory Actions & Documents
Findings on a Petition To List Bottlenose Dolphin in Fiorland, New Zealand Under the ESA
We, NMFS, announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) within Fiordland, New Zealand as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Based on our review of the best scientific and commercial...
Comments Close
Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan
NMFS issues this final rule to implement regulatory and non-regulatory management measures to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury (bycatch) of the western North Atlantic coastal bottlenose dolphin stock (dolphin) (Tursiops truncatus) in the...
Effective
Depleted Designation for Western North Atlantic Coastal Migratory Stock of Bottlenose Dolphins
NMFS designates the coastal migratory stock of bottlenose dolphins along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This action is required by the MMPA when a species or population stock is determined to have...
Effective
Science
NOAA Fisheries is committed to understanding the impacts of human activities on the biology and behavior of bottlenose dolphins. From population dynamics to the detection and monitoring of unusual mortality events, we are undertaking a range of studies to further our understanding of these animals.
Although bottlenose dolphins live off the coast throughout the United States, our research primarily focuses on stocks in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.
Bottlenose dolphin pod with two calves. Photo: NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center/Allison Henry.
Strandings and Unusual Mortality Events
To understand the health of dolphin populations, scientists work with our stranding network partners to collect data on all marine mammal strandings and investigate unusual mortality events. Scientists study UMEs such as the 2004 biotoxin event along the Florida Panhandle, where 100 dolphins were found along the coast, and the 2013–2015 morbillivirus event from New York to Florida, during which almost 2,000 bottlenose dolphins were recovered. In addition, the 2010–2014 northern Gulf of Mexico UME was the largest UME ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico and the major contributor to this event was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To fully understand the causes of these events, interdisciplinary teams of scientists study interdependent factors that may contribute to dolphin deaths. Although toxins, bacteria, and viruses are thought to be the leading causes of dolphin deaths in UMEs, a variety of ecosystem factors may also contribute to these events.
Learn more about unusual mortality events
Long-term Studies of Estuarine Dolphins
Observational studies using photo-identification and other techniques play a key role in helping NOAA Fisheries understand the behavior and population dynamics of estuarine bottlenose dolphins and the threats they face. For example, The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program is the longest-running observational study of marine mammals in the world. Scientists have been collecting observational and photographic data from bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida, continually for more than 40 years. Researchers from a range of fields--physiology, ecology, behavior, acoustics, genetics, and population dynamics—have used a variety of research methods to greatly increase our understanding of wild dolphin populations. With this information, we can better understand how to preserve and protect these marine mammals.
Damage Assessments
Understanding the impact of incidents such as oil spills is critical to predicting their long-term impact on wild dolphin populations. For example, in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, NOAA and our local, state, and federal partners started the Barataria Bay, Louisiana, dolphin study in 2010 as part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment. A team of scientists reported a high rate of reproductive failure, among other things, in dolphins exposed to oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill, having monitored dolphins in Barataria Bay for 5 years. These insights provide a greater understanding of the challenges that wild dolphins face in Barataria Bay and elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the United States.
Acoustic Science
Our research also is focused on acoustics—the physics of the properties of sound. We study the basic acoustic behavior of cetaceans and fish, mapping the acoustic environment and finding better ways to find cetaceans using acoustic technologies.
Learn more about acoustics science
Shipboard Studies
NOAA Fisheries conducts research cruises to collect information on bottlenose dolphins’ habitat preferences and feeding ecology. Cruises help us estimate the abundance of the dolphins in coastal and offshore waters. Genetic sampling is used to study population structure and better understand the boundaries between different populations. Information from this research can then be used in management actions to protect these animals.
Stock Assessments
Determining the size of bottlenose dolphin populations helps resource managers determine the success of our conservation measures. NOAA Fisheries scientists collect population information from various sources and present the data in an annual stock assessment report.
As resources allow, NOAA Fisheries is also working with collaborators to update stock assessment reports for bays, sounds, and estuaries (BSEs) in the Gulf of Mexico and we are working to update the stock assessment reports in the Atlantic. In the past 5 years, abundance studies were performed in several BSEs throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including those in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida.