BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN

Bottlenose Dolphin, South African Sardine Run

The rich oceans of southern Africa harbour a wealth of sea mammals, with the Bottlenose Dolphin in many ways, representing the archetypal dolphin. It is gray, varying from dark gray at the top near the dorsal fin to very light gray and almost white at the underside. This makes it hard to see, both from above and below when swimming and camouflages itself against predators. Its elongated upper and lower jaws form what is called a rostrum, or beak-like snout, which gives the animal its common name. The real, functional nose is the blowhole on top of its head; in fact the nasal septum is visible when the blowhole is open.

Adults range in length from 2 to 4 meters and in weight from 150 to 650 kilograms with males being on average slightly longer and considerably heavier than females. However the size of a dolphin appears to vary considerably with habitat and those dolphins in warmer, shallower waters tend to have a smaller body than their cousins in cooler pelagic waters. One of the most acrobatic of sea mammals and certainly one that seems to have the most fun, the bottle nose (usually accompanied by the common) dolphin can be seen