Mississippi mammals

Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Mississippi

Tursiops truncatus

Native to Mississippi S4 Apparently Secure in Mississippi

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

Common in Mississippi 12th most recorded of 74 mammals logged in Mississippi

139 occurrence records
139 with iNaturalist photos
Apr 23, 2026 Last seen in Mississippi

Records from 2000–2026.

139 total records count every Mississippi occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 133; the monthly chart covers the 133 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Common Bottlenose Dolphin in Mississippi

Most sightings fall in September.

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

Monthly Mississippi records (table)
MonthRecords
January3
February12
March13
April8
May12
June14
July17
August11
September25
October4
November8
December6

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Mississippi, with recorded sightings peaking in September, with a smaller rise in July.

Occurrence map

Where Common Bottlenose Dolphin has been recorded in Mississippi

133 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

133 Mississippi records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Gulf Islands National Seashore 17
Graveline Bay Coastal Reserve 5
Hancock County Marsh Coastal Reserve 2
Bellefontaine Point Coastal Reserve 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 Mississippi

CountyRecords
Jackson County 25
Harrison County 18
Hancock County 3
Other localities 93

The complete county distribution, spread across 3 Mississippi counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Mississippi’s bottlenose dolphins are a Gulf Coast specialty, best watched from the barrier-island waters of Gulf Islands National Seashore and from shorelines overlooking Mississippi Sound. Scan passes, boat channels, and the outer edges of bays for surfacing groups, especially where tide lines concentrate fish.

Reports extend through the year and crest in September, but weather, boating activity, and observer access strongly shape the record. A calm morning and a patient scan usually matter more than the calendar.

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 Mississippi 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"