You’ve heard the Flipper theme song too many times to count, but how much do you really know about the bottlenose dolphin? These stunning, powerful creatures are a sight to behold. Here are a few basic facts about the ever-smiling bottlenose:
Natural habitat: warm and temperate seas worldwide
Protection status: Secure
Population: Unknown (though there are quite a lot of them)
Size: Between six and 12 feet long. They can weigh anywhere from 300 to 1400 lbs.
Life span: 40 to 50 years
Diet: small fish, crustaceans, and squid
Personality: Bottlenose dolphins can be the life of the party. Considered very social, they typically swim in groups of 10 to 25.
Fun fact: They’ve got a lot of brain –literally. On average, a bottlenose dolphin brain can weigh up to 1,600 grams. To put that into perspective, a typical human brain weighs up to 1,300 grams.
