Louisiana mammals

Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Louisiana

Tursiops truncatus

Native to Louisiana S5 Secure in Louisiana

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

Common in Louisiana 13th most recorded of 72 mammals logged in Louisiana

260 occurrence records
258 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 24, 2026 Last seen in Louisiana

Records from 2000–2026.

260 total records count every Louisiana occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 251; the monthly chart covers the 251 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Louisiana

Most sightings fall in April to May.

251 Louisiana occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Louisiana records (table)
MonthRecords
January13
February6
March20
April54
May35
June20
July18
August9
September17
October30
November19
December10

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Louisiana, with recorded sightings peaking in April–May.

Occurrence map

Where Common Bottlenose Dolphin has been recorded in Louisiana

251 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

239 Louisiana records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge 9
West Belle Pass-dnr 9
Grand Isle 6
Grand Isle State Park 2
Pass A Loutre Wildlife Management Area 1

Protected places with the most common bottlenose dolphin sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Louisiana

CountyRecords
Cameron County 79
Lafourche County 39
Plaquemines County 29
Terrebonne County 19
Calcasieu County 3
St. Bernard County 2
St. Tammany County 2
Vermilion County 1
Orleans County 1
Other localities 85

The complete county distribution, spread across 9 Louisiana counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Common bottlenose dolphins follow Louisiana’s nearshore Gulf waters and tidal passes, with Grand Isle offering the most direct public vantage among the recorded locations. Reports near Sabine and Bayou Sauvage reflect the coast’s connected bays and estuarine waterways rather than inland habitat.

Dolphins are documented in every month, with April producing the strongest count. Scan calm water for repeated low arcs and coordinated surfacing, and view from shore or a responsible vessel without pursuing the animals.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and 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 Louisiana 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
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"