The Bahamas Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins

Dolphins, also known as Tursiops truncates, are a huge draw for anyone considering a scuba diving Nassau adventure. These marine mammals are beloved for their intelligence, playfulness and generally non-aggressive behavior. While Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins should always be treated with respect and a safe distance should be kept by divers, the fact remains that there have actually been many documented cases of dolphins rescuing drowning humans or protecting them from sharks. These selfless acts on the part of the dolphins are just one more reason why people should do all they can to protect the dolphins in turn.

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Appearance:

These long-lived sea mammals can live up to 50 years of age, but they can reach sexual maturity while still only a few years old. Males take longer to sexually mature than females do. Dolphins are intimidatingly large, though usually gentle, and they can weight as much as 1400 pounds and be as long as 12 feet. There is a large range in dolphin sizes, though, and some dolphins are significantly smaller. Dolphins living near the coast are smaller than their deep sea brothers and sisters, and the Atlantic species is smaller than their Pacific Ocean counterparts. Females are generally a bit smaller than males as well, but they make up for that by living longer.

Dolphins are generally a dark gray color, though their belly is several shades lighter. One of their most identifying features is a long snout or "beak." Between 80 and 100 teeth fill this beak, which dolphins use not only to hunt but also to express dominance or discipline each other. Rather than biting when they fight, they often just rake their teeth across their opponent, leaving rake-like marks which are more painful than truly damaging. One thing they don't use their teeth for is chewing - they instead swallow their prey whole.

Being mammals, all dolphins have a blowhole located on the top of their head which they use to breath. They also have blue eyes and a sleek, long body. They generality travel in small groups, though sometimes several hundreds of dolphins will be found together.

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Eating Habits:

Dolphins use echolocation to find prey. They eat various species of fish, squid, and other marine life and will work together to herd prey when hunting. They have even helped human fishermen by herding fish towards their nets, as they can then more easily pick off any fish that fall out of or avoid the nets. They also sometimes throw fish into the air, known as fish whacking, when they are hunting.

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Habitat:

Dolphins like temperate waters generally and can be seen in many places across the world, with the cold waters of the extreme south or extreme north being the only exceptions. They can be found along almost the entire coast, both eastern and western, of the United States. Though they can live in all parts of the ocean, they do seem to prefer the relatively shallow coastal waters.