Sighting

Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatuss)

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is one of the best known and most studied dolphins, although scientists still cannot agree on the number of species that exist. Until a few years ago there was only one species, but nowadays the general opinion differentiates between the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.

The average length ranges from 2.6 m. to 3.8 m., with the maximum recorded in the Canary Islands being close to 3.5 m. Their weight is between 150 and 350 kg and can reach up to 500 kg. They live between 30 and 40 years, reaching sexual maturity at 11 or 12 years of age. Gestation lasts about 12 months and they usually have one calf, which usually measures 1-1.3 m. and weighs between 30 and 40 kg. They give birth every 2-3 years and the suckling period lasts between 12-18 months.

It is a coastal species although it can also be seen in open waters. It is very common in the waters of the archipelago.

They live in small family groups of up to a dozen individuals that sometimes join together to form large herds. Thanks to a skin perfectly adapted to the marine environment and a powerful tail, bottlenose dolphins can reach speeds of up to 50 kmh.

They feed on squid, octopus, mackerel, sardines and other fish.

The American army used it for military purposes as early as the 1960s, and it later became popular thanks to the cinema and the television series “Flipper”. It can be seen regularly in dolphinariums and its hunting for these purposes naturally arouses great controversy.