Common Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Group formation: Social fission fusion groups 10-30 (sometimes up to 100, mix with other dolphins)
Size: 2-4 m, calf 1.3 m
Weight: 200-600 kg, calf 9-21 kg
Age: 40-50 yrs
Sexual maturity: varies with populations 5-14 yrs
Gestation: 12 mths, 4-6 yrs in between
Weaning: 2.5-3 yrs
Diet: mostly fish, invertebrates, squids
Predators: sharks, killer whales, false killer whales, pygmy killer whales, short-finned pilot whales
Distribution: worldwide distribution ranging 45° N to 45° S, in temperate and tropical waters
Chile: very common in the Gulf of Corcovado, groups of > 100, very social and active
Population size: 600.000
Conservation Status: Least Concern ver 3.1, Pop. trend: unknown
Threats: Whaling (Faeroe Islands, Japan, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Indonesia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka), chemical and plastic pollution, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), entanglement in fishing gear, bycatch, over fishing, captivity