These widespread dolphins are active and very acrobatic.

Subspecies
Possibly two (coastal and offshore).

Life span
Unknown.

Statistics
Bottlenose dolphins have a body length of 1.9-3.9m and weigh 150-650kg.

Physical description
Bottlenose dolphins appear uniform grey, but their colouring can be very variable. They have a prominent dorsal fin, and have a short, well-developed snout which resembles an old style gin bottle (hence its name.)

Distribution
They are mainly found in the temperate and tropical waters of Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

Diet
Bottlenose dolphins feed on squid, shrimp, eels and a wide variety of fish. They often hunt in teams.

Behaviour
Like most dolphins, they are extremely social and remain in groups of 1-10 individuals in coastal regions, and groups of 1-25 offshore.

Conservation status
Bottlenose dolphins are classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN Red List. Global threats include hunting, human disturbance, habitat loss, prey depletion, pollution, entanglement in nets and collisions with vessels.

Notes
Dolphins are considered to be one of the most intelligent mammals. About 0.94 per cent of a bottlenose dolphin's weight is made up of its brain.