Common bottlenose dolphin
Amazing fact
The bottlenose dolphin rests one side of its brain while continuing to breathe.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
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An illustration based on the real animal.
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The bottlenose dolphin rests one side of its brain while continuing to breathe.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Common bottlenose dolphin
- Scientific name
- Tursiops truncatus
- Japanese name
- ハンドウイルカ（バンドウイルカ）
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Artiodactyla
- Family
- Delphinidae
- Genus
- Tursiops
Where the name “Common bottlenose dolphin” comes from
Its English name comes from its short, thick snout.
NOAA FisheriesA dolphin of warm seas around the world, living both near the coast and offshore. It is also found widely in the seas around Japan.
Its beak is thick and its dorsal fin is shaped like a sickle. Its back is gray to black, and its belly is whitish.
Working together, they may herd fish into a tight group and then take turns charging through the school to feed.
How the Common bottlenose dolphin lives
They locate prey by listening or using echolocation. They grip fish with their teeth and swallow them whole without chewing. They may travel alone or in groups.
NOAA FisheriesBasic data
- Size
- 2.2–3 m国立科学博物館 海棲哺乳類データベース
- Weight
- 140–240 kg国立科学博物館 海棲哺乳類データベース
- Range
- Warm seas around the world沖縄美ら海水族館
Where the Common bottlenose dolphin has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 简体中文
- 宽吻海豚
- 繁體中文
- 瓶鼻海豚
- 한국어
- 큰돌고래
- Español
- Delfín mular
- Français
- Grand dauphin
- Deutsch
- Großer Tümmler
- Português (Brasil)
- Golfinho-comum
- Italiano
- Tursiope comune
- العربية
- دلفين شائع قاروري الأنف
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Lumba-lumba hidung botol
- Tiếng Việt
- Cá heo mũi chai
- Русский
- Афалина
- Türkçe
- Afalina
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 沖縄美ら海水族館 — バンドウイルカChecked: 2026-11-03
- 国立科学博物館 海棲哺乳類データベース — ハンドウイルカChecked: 2026-11-03
- NOAA Fisheries — Common bottlenose dolphinChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Tursiops truncatusChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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