Bottlenose Dolphin

• It is probably the most studied cetacean in the world, thanks to more than 50 years of research in Sarasota Bay.
• It can hold its breath for up to 7 minutes.
• It can recognise itself in a mirror, a cognitive ability that is rare among animals.
• comportamientoIt can sleep with one half of its brain active while the other rests, keeping the waking hemisphere alert so it can surface to breathe.
• comunicaciónIn 2022 a wild individual was documented for the first time producing the clicks characteristic of a porpoise, which researchers interpreted as a possible attempt at interspecies communication.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat and environment

Temperate and tropical coastal waters worldwide, absent only from polar regions

Birth weight

15-30 kg and 0.8-1.4 m long at birth

Size at birth

15-30 kg and 0.8-1.4 m at birth

Sexual maturity

5-14 years (average 8.5-13 years)

Gestation / incubation

12 months (~1 year)

Litter / clutch size

1 young per birth, with intervals of 3-6 years

Sources consulted: ANGARI Foundation; Animalia.bio; Frontiers in Marine Science (Sarasota Bay study); Red Sea Creatures; Wikipedia (Common bottlenose dolphin)