Delaware mammals

Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Delaware

Tursiops truncatus

Native to Delaware

Not listed as nonindigenous in Delaware by USGS NAS; native to its Delaware range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)Delfín mular (Tursiops truncatus), isla de San Cristóbal, islas Galápagos, Ecuador, 2015-07-24, DD 86Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)Two wild bottlenose dolphins breaching in unison over gray coastal waterWild 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 in Delaware, by the numbers

Occasional in Delaware 39th most recorded of 62 mammals logged in Delaware

2 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Delaware

Most sightings fall in May.

2 Delaware occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly Delaware records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April0
May1
June0
July1
August0
September0
October0
November0
December0

Monthly common bottlenose dolphin occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Delaware, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Sparse observation record in Delaware; presence confirmed but timing of activity not well documented.

Occurrence map

Where Common Bottlenose Dolphin has been recorded in Delaware

2 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

1 Delaware record mapped

Delaware’s bottlenose dolphin record from 2000 onward comes down to 2 GBIF records, neither tied to a county. That’s far too thin to show where dolphins use the state’s waters; it confirms the species is here and little more. Counts like these track who reports a sighting to the open databases, not how many dolphins swim past.

The two dated records fall in May and July. That timing fits the mid-Atlantic pattern: bottlenose dolphins work into bays and nearshore water as it warms through summer, then move back down the coast in fall.

NatureServe marks the species not applicable for a state rank in Delaware, since marine mammals range well beyond state lines, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern globally.

Occurrence data from GBIF.

Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Full species profile Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Size 2–4 m6.6–13.1 ft Weight 150–650 kg330.7–1433 lb Lifespan 60 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Delaware in the atlas

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
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap