🐬 Bottlenose Dolphin Facts for Kids

🐾 Mammals Grades K–5

The bottlenose dolphin is a meat-eating mammal that lives in the ocean. Dolphins are mammals: they breathe air through a blowhole on top of their heads.

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🐬 Bottlenose Dolphin fact file

Scientific name: Tursiops truncatus
Animal group: Mammal
Where it lives: The ocean
Habitat: Warm and mild oceans around the world, including both US coasts
Diet: Carnivore (meat-eater) — Fish, squid and shrimp
Size: About 6 to 13 feet long
Weight: About 330–1,400 lb
Life span: About 40–50 years
Status: Least Concern

📏 A big bottlenose dolphin is longer than a couch.

⭐ 5 fun facts about bottlenose dolphins

Dolphins are mammals: they breathe air through a blowhole on top of their heads.
Each dolphin has its own “signature whistle” that works like a name.
Dolphins find food with echolocation — they make clicks and listen for the echoes.
They rest one half of the brain at a time so they can keep swimming and breathing.
Dolphins live in groups called pods.

Where do bottlenose dolphins live?

Wild bottlenose dolphins are found in the ocean. Warm and mild oceans around the world, including both US coasts. Many aquariums and marine sanctuaries help scientists study and protect them.

What do bottlenose dolphins eat?

Bottlenose dolphins are carnivores, which means they eat other animals. Their menu: fish, squid and shrimp.

Is the bottlenose dolphin endangered?

Status: Least Concern. That means there are plenty in the wild right now — good news! You can help wild animals by learning about them, saving energy, cutting down on plastic and supporting zoos, aquariums and parks that protect wildlife.