Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Also known as: Bottlenosed Dolphin, bottle-nosed dophin, common bottle-nosed dolphin, Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Cowfish

LCLeast Concern

Photo: NASA · Public domainCommon Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Delfín mular (Tursiops truncatus), isla de San Cristóbal, islas Galápagos, Ecuador, 2015-07-24, DD 86Photo: Jonathan Eisen · CC BY 4.0Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)Photo: steve b · CC0Two wild bottlenose dolphins breaching in unison over gray coastal waterPhoto: Rolf Lawrenz · CC BY 4.0Wild bottlenose dolphin surfacing head-on, beak and dorsal fin above the water

Photo: NASA · Public domainCommon Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0Delfín mular (Tursiops truncatus), isla de San Cristóbal, islas Galápagos, Ecuador, 2015-07-24, DD 86Photo: Jonathan Eisen · CC BY 4.0Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)Photo: steve b · CC0Two wild bottlenose dolphins breaching in unison over gray coastal waterPhoto: Rolf Lawrenz · CC BY 4.0Wild bottlenose dolphin surfacing head-on, beak and dorsal fin above the water

Common Bottlenose Dolphin is a robust gray dolphin with a short beak and flexible social behavior. It uses clicks to find prey and whistles to communicate, hunting alone or cooperatively. United States records span coastal and offshore waters, but those forms use different habitats and shouldn't be treated as one uniform population. National occurrence records reveal where and when people have documented it, but they don't measure abundance or prove that an unreported area is empty.

Range through the year

Where Common Bottlenose Dolphin is seen

Common Bottlenose Dolphin is recorded in 16 US states from 21,127 occurrence records, most heavily in Florida (5,846 records) and Texas (3,932).

Current range21,127 records · 16 states

Occurrence data by state and month

Common Bottlenose Dolphin – occurrence records by US state and month (21,127 total across 16 states)
State	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Florida	601	646	873	697	411	404	386	385	312	307	344	480	5,846
Texas	370	475	930	633	224	195	121	160	128	159	235	302	3,932
California	364	248	300	307	308	276	343	350	262	298	272	417	3,745
North Carolina	251	407	356	289	242	81	58	57	71	168	180	166	2,326
Virginia	17	4	18	28	168	164	176	386	228	135	71	14	1,409
South Carolina	29	38	80	79	57	105	107	69	69	93	116	51	893
Mississippi	28	51	122	141	50	40	37	28	59	37	71	43	707
Louisiana	43	60	94	155	101	32	33	14	14	36	26	20	628
Alabama	46	45	89	69	32	52	42	54	64	47	47	37	624
Georgia	43	18	74	63	31	19	20	24	15	15	25	49	396
New Jersey	3	30	2	6	15	48	57	55	25	4	6	2	253
Maryland	1	1	1	3	42	20	13	50	14	1	1	1	148
Hawaii	19	18	12	6	4	6	3	6	3	4	12	11	104
Delaware	1	·	·	·	11	14	10	19	10	1	·	·	66
Massachusetts	·	1	·	4	3	7	2	2	2	·	1	3	25
New York	1	2	2	2	3	2	3	5	·	·	2	3	25

Based on 21,259 georeferenced US records, 2000-2026. Shading is observation density (where people record sightings), not true abundance. Alaska, Hawaii & Puerto Rico shown as insets.

Explore by state

Common Bottlenose Dolphin across 16 states

Occurrence records, conservation status, and the places it turns up, state by state. Open a state for detail, or visit its full page.

FloridaNativeCommon5,878 records
State rankUnranked
Notable placesGulf Islands National Seashore · Everglades National Park · Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve · Everglades
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Florida, with recorded sightings peaking in January–April.
Full Florida page →All Florida mammals →
TexasNativeCommon3,949 records
State rankVulnerable
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Texas, with recorded sightings peaking in March–April.
Full Texas page →All Texas mammals →
CaliforniaNativeCommon3,752 records
Notable placesSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation Area · Golden Gate National Recreation Area · Torrey Pines State Reserve · Channel Islands National Park
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in California, with no strong seasonal peak in observations.
Full California page →All California mammals →
North CarolinaNativeCommon2,339 records
State rankSecure
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in North Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in January–April.
Full North Carolina page →All North Carolina mammals →
VirginiaNativeCommon1,417 records
State rankNot Applicable
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Virginia, with recorded sightings peaking in August.
Full Virginia page →All Virginia mammals →
South CarolinaNativeCommon902 records
State rankSecure
Countiesrecorded in 10
Year-round in South Carolina, with recorded sightings peaking in October–November, with a smaller rise in March–April and June–July.
Full South Carolina page →All South Carolina mammals →
MississippiNativeCommon715 records
State rankApparently Secure
Notable placesGulf Islands National Seashore · Graveline Bay Coastal Reserve · Hancock County Marsh Coastal Reserve · Bellefontaine Point Coastal Reserve
Countiesrecorded in 6
Year-round in Mississippi, with recorded sightings peaking in March–April.
Full Mississippi page →All Mississippi mammals →
LouisianaNativeCommon633 records
State rankSecure
Notable placesGrand Isle · Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge · West Belle Pass-dnr · Grand Isle State Park
Countiesrecorded in 12
Year-round in Louisiana, with recorded sightings peaking in March–May.
Full Louisiana page →All Louisiana mammals →
AlabamaNativeCommon632 records
Notable placesDauphin Island
Countiesrecorded in 4
Year-round in Alabama, with recorded sightings peaking in March–April, with a smaller rise in August–September.
Full Alabama page →All Alabama mammals →
GeorgiaNativeCommon414 records
State rankApparently Secure
Countiesrecorded in 7
Year-round in Georgia, with recorded sightings peaking in March–April, with a smaller rise in December.
Full Georgia page →All Georgia mammals →
New JerseyNativeCommon256 records
State rankVulnerable
Countiesrecorded in 6
Year-round in New Jersey, with recorded sightings peaking in June–August.
Full New Jersey page →All New Jersey mammals →
MarylandNativeCommon148 records
State rankApparently Secure
Countiesrecorded in 4
Year-round in Maryland, with recorded sightings peaking in August, with a smaller rise in May.
Full Maryland page →All Maryland mammals →
HawaiiNativeCommon106 records
State rankSNRM
Notable placesMakapuu Point State Wayside
Countiesrecorded in 4
Year-round in Hawaii, with recorded sightings peaking in January–March, with a smaller rise in November.
Full Hawaii page →All Hawaii mammals →
DelawareNativeCommon66 records
State rankNot Applicable
Countiesrecorded in 3
Year-round in Delaware, with recorded sightings peaking in August, with a smaller rise in June.
Full Delaware page →All Delaware mammals →
MassachusettsNativeRare26 records
State rankImperiled
Countiesrecorded in 4
Year-round in Massachusetts, with recorded sightings peaking in June.
Full Massachusetts page →All Massachusetts mammals →
New YorkNativeOccasional26 records
State rankVulnerable
Countiesrecorded in 5
Year-round in New York, with recorded sightings peaking in July–August, with a smaller rise in December and May.
Full New York page →All New York mammals →

Show all 16 states Show fewer

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

SizeCommon Bottlenose Dolphin beside a 1.8 m adult, drawn to scale

Body length: 2–4 m6 ft 7 in–13 ft 1 in
Weight: 150–650 kg331–1,433 lb

Silhouettes drawn to scale against a 1.8 m5 ft 11 in adult.

Elevation

From 199 georeferenced records, the Common Bottlenose Dolphin is recorded from sea levelsea level to 112 m367 ft, with half of sightings below sea levelsea level.

100–150 m328–492 ft

50–100 m164–328 ft

0–50 m0–164 ft

Each band shows the share of georeferenced sightings that fall within it. Records cluster where people live and hike, so low, populated elevations are over-represented. Read this as observation density, not true abundance.

Observation peakAugust14,367 records

Seasonality from research-grade observation dates across the US (14,367 records, all years). Reflects when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Best encounter

Where and when to see a Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Your best chance: Florida, in August.

Where: FloridaFL
When: August

Trophic relationshipsFood web What a Common Bottlenose Dolphin eats, and what eats it.

Eaten by2

Great White SharkCarcharodon carchariasBlack VultureCoragyps atratus

This speciesCommon Bottlenose Dolphin

PinfishLagodon rhomboidesSouthern Shortfin SquidIllex coindetiiCommon OctopusOctopus vulgarisSlender Inshore SquidDoryteuthis pleiiAtlantic SalmonSalmo salarHogchokerTrinectes maculatusBluefishPomatomus saltatrixAtlantic MenhadenBrevoortia tyrannus

Eats8

A sample of documented feeding relationships, filtered to species that also occur in the US. Diet and predators vary by region and season, and this is not a complete list, many animals eat, and are eaten by, more than what has been formally recorded here.

Life history

The Common Bottlenose Dolphin (150–650 kg330.7–1433 lb) is a carnivore that first breeds around 7.8 years, carries a 365-day gestation, and bears about 1 young per litter. Maximum recorded longevity is 51.6 years.

Life cycle

Gestation1 years (≈12 months)
Birthlitter of 1 young
Sexual maturity7.8 yr (female) · 10.1 yr (male)
Maximum recorded longevity51.6 years

Reproduction

Gestation: 365days≈12 months
Litter size: 1youngaverage
Litters / year: 0.5littersabout one every 2 years
Age at first breeding: 7.8years♀ 7.8 · ♂ 10.1 yr

Diet composition

Carnivore

By foraging composition: 80% fish, 20% invertebrates.

20%

80%

Fish80%
Invertebrates20%

Most active during the day.

Typical values for the species, not local measurements. Maximum longevity is the longest lifespan on record; most individuals live far less.

Commonly confused with

Animals people sometimes mistake for the common bottlenose dolphin, and how to tell them apart.

Photo:Charles J. SharpWikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Common Dolphin

Delphinus delphis

How to tell apart Common dolphin is slimmer with a pale hourglass flank pattern; common bottlenose dolphin is robust and plain gray with a short beak.

View species page Compare side by side

Photo:NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science CenterWikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Atlantic spotted dolphin

Stenella frontalis

How to tell apart Adult Atlantic spotted dolphin has pale spots across its dark back; common bottlenose dolphin remains mostly unspotted gray.

View species page Compare side by side

How to recognize the Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Common Bottlenose Dolphin is a robust gray dolphin with a short beak and flexible social behavior. Field identification still depends on the whole animal, its behavior, and location because a quick glimpse can hide useful features.

Common Bottlenose Dolphin behavior and habitat

It uses clicks to find prey and whistles to communicate, hunting alone or cooperatively. Habitat must connect feeding areas with secure places to rest, shelter, or raise young. That link explains why a broad outline can contain large areas the species doesn’t regularly use.

Understanding the United States record

United States records span coastal and offshore waters, but those forms use different habitats and shouldn’t be treated as one uniform population. Reports depend on access, survey methods, and correct identification. A cluster doesn’t measure population size, and a blank area doesn’t prove absence. Repeated surveys are needed to separate real biological change from changes in reporting.

Conservation in context

Wide-ranging species can face very different pressures across their distribution. Protecting feeding habitat, travel routes, and undisturbed shelter addresses the parts of the landscape they actually need. Global conservation categories don’t replace local monitoring.

Sources

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
PhyloPicCC0 / CC-BY per itemthe to-scale silhouettesScott Hartman (Cetacea) · Andrew A. Farke (human silhouette, CC-BY 3.0)
AnAge (HAGR)CC-BY 3.0longevity, maturity, and gestation figures
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI)CC0 · public domainthe food web
Amniote Life-History DatabaseCC0 · public domainreproduction figures
EltonTraitsCC0 · public domaindiet and foraging-activity data