Georgia mammals

Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Georgia

Tursiops truncatus

Native to Georgia S4 Apparently Secure in Georgia

Not listed as nonindigenous in Georgia by USGS NAS; native to its Georgia 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 Georgia, by the numbers

Occasional in Georgia 45th most recorded of 102 mammals logged in Georgia

25 occurrence records

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Georgia

Most sightings fall in March.

25 Georgia 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 Georgia records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February1
March6
April2
May1
June3
July1
August1
September0
October1
November1
December6

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Georgia, with recorded sightings peaking in March, with a smaller rise in December.

Occurrence map

Where Common Bottlenose Dolphin has been recorded in Georgia

25 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

25 Georgia records mapped

Where it's recorded in Georgia

CountyRecords
Camden County 18
Other localities 7

The complete county distribution, spread across 1 Georgia counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Every Georgia common bottlenose dolphin record belongs to the coast. Cumberland and Sapelo sounds and the waterways near Savannah National Wildlife Refuge funnel tides through marsh-lined creeks, bringing fish into shallow water. Dolphins can use echolocation in that murky water and sometimes work together to press prey against a bank.

March is the leading report month, with April and December also elevated. Boat traffic, research trips, sea conditions, and visibility all shape that pattern, so it doesn’t reveal how many dolphins are offshore. Protected sounds are also easier for people to survey than open Atlantic water. The cluster therefore reflects both useful estuary habitat and where Georgia observers can reliably watch the surface.

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 Georgia 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
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries