bottlenose dolphin Archives - Animal Fact Guide

Featured Animal: Bottlenose Dolphin

Posted on March 24, 2017 by admin

Meet our featured animal: the bottlenose dolphin!

National Dolphin Day takes place Friday, April 14, 2017!

Here are five fun facts about bottlenose dolphins:

Dolphins are marine mammals, which means they must come to the surface of the water to breathe. They can hold their breath for up to 7 minutes!
Dolphins can exhale air at 160 km/hr (100 mph) through their blowholes.
Dolphins never fully sleep. One side of their brain must always be active so that they remember to breathe. (They are not involuntary breathers like humans. They must consciously swim to the surface to take a breath.)
Dolphins have a nearly 360-degree field of vision, and they can move one eye independently of the other.
Dolphins produce high-frequency clicks that humans can’t hear. They use these clicks in a sonar system called echolocation. When the clicking sound reaches an object, it bounces back to the dolphin as an echo. Dolphins can process this information to determine the shape, size, speed, distance, and location of the object.

Learn more about dolphins at our bottlenose dolphin article.

VIDEO: Pink Dolphin in Louisiana

Posted on September 12, 2015 by admin

A rare pink bottlenose dolphin was recently captured on video by charter boat captain Erik Rue. Pinky was first spotted by Rue in 2007. To everyone’s delight, Pinky made another appearance eight years later, and she might be pregnant!

According to scientist Greg Barsh, Pinky is most likely an albino. The pink hue comes from the blood vessels showing through her pale skin, which has no color. Albinism happens when there is a genetic mutation. The cells that make melanin, which produces the color in hair and skin, fail to make enough pigment, if any at all. People who have albinism have very pale skin, eyes, and hair.

Albinos can suffer from skin and vision issues as a result of their lack of melanin. Animals with albinism may be easily spotted by predators because they lack the appropriate camouflage. Therefore, albino animals, such as Pinky, are very rare in the wild.

Learn more about Pinky at National Geographic.

Discover more interesting facts about dolphins at our bottlenose dolphin facts page.

Baby Bottlenose Dolphin at Discovery Cove

Posted on March 5, 2015 by admin

A female bottlenose dolphin was born at Discovery Cove in Orlando, FL on February 7. The calf now weighs about 20 kg (44 lbs.). She is doing well, nursing and bonding with her mother Coral.

Discovery Cove will soon host a naming contest on its Facebook page where fans can help choose the new baby dolphin’s name.

Learn more about dolphins at our bottlenose dolphin facts page.

Baby Dolphin at Discovery Cove

Posted on April 3, 2014 by admin

Discovery Cove in Orlando welcomed a female dolphin calf on March 18 at 3:45 am. The calf weighs about 22 kg (48 lbs.) and is 1.2 m (47 in.) long. The baby dolphin is doing well, nursing and bonding with her mother Natalie.

The baby female dolphin born at Discovery Cove is doing well, bonding with mother Natalie. Photo by Discovery Cove.

Learn more about the calf at discoverycove.com. View our bottlenose dolphin page to learn more facts about dolphins.

Baby Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin at Discovery Cove

Posted on March 4, 2013 by admin

Discovery Cove in Orlando, FL welcomed a male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin calf on Monday. The calf weighs 44 pounds and measures 44 inches long.

The baby calf swims and bonds with his mother Kendall. Photo by Discovery Cove.

To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our Bottlenose Dolphin Facts Page.

Baby Dolphin at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove

Posted on December 14, 2012 by admin

A female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin calf bonds with her mother at Discovery Cove in Florida.

A female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin calf was born at Discovery Cove in Orlando, Florida on November 30. The baby weighed 35 pounds and measured 3.5 feet long.

This birth is notable because scientists were able to pre-select the dolphin’s gender using a new technology called “sperm-sexing” where X chromosomes (which produce female offspring) are separated from Y chromosomes (which produce male offspring). This advancement allows scientists to preserve genetic diversity in dolphins.

According to SeaWorld, the new baby is doing well, continuing to develop and bonding with her mother.

For more info, visit SeaWorld’s website.

To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our Bottlenose Dolphin Facts Page.

Baby Dolphin Born at SeaWorld Orlando

Posted on July 9, 2012 by admin

Saturday morning saw the birth of a dolphin at SeaWorld Orlando. The gender of the baby has not been determined yet, but has been feeding and bonding with the mother, Starkey. Guests at the park can visit the pair at the Dolphin Nursery.

To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our Bottlenose Dolphin Facts Page.

Dolphin Calf Born at SeaWorld

Posted on July 29, 2011 by admin

A dolphin calf was born Tuesday at 9:36am at SeaWorld Orlando. The calf weighs 35 pounds and is 40 inches long, with the sex unknown at this time. It was seen nursing and bonding with its mom, both a good indication that the calf is doing well. Park guests can see the pair at SeaWorld’s Dolphin Nursery. In the nursery pregnant dolphins, new mothers, their calves and experienced moms live together.

Dolphin calf at SeaWorld

Dolphin calf and mom at SeaWorld

To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our Bottlenose Dolphin Facts Page.

Dolphin Bubble Rings

Posted on September 26, 2008 by admin

Snopes.com has recently verified the phenomenon of dolphin bubble rings. This video shows dolphins creating these bubble rings, which are essentially water vortices infused with air, and then playfully biting them or swimming through them.

For more information: http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/dolphinrings.asp

To learn more about bottlenose dolphins, see our Bottlenose Dolphin Facts Page.