Pollution, overfishing and habitat destruction reduces the numbers of these dolphins and confines them to limited habitats. Although there is no current worldwide estimation of their population, based on the aerial surveys we carried out, their number in the Adriatic is estimated at around 10,000 individuals. They are famous for their curiosity and this makes them prone to entanglement, particularly in gillnets, which in turn is a major form of premature death for the species. Bottlenose dolphins feed mostly on benthic fish and small squids, and therefore are often in direct competition with fishermen. 4) Bottlenose dolphins are super swimmers, gliding through the water using their curved dorsal fin on their back, a powerful tail and pointed flippers. Bottlenose dolphins remain submerged for 4 – 7 minutes when foraging for fish. The single blowhole is located on the dorsal surface of the head and is covered by a muscular flap that provides an airtight seal when diving. Dolphins must surface every few minutes to breath. In the Adriatic, animals usually reach up to 3 m in length and weigh about 200 kg. The bottlenose dolphin measures between 1.9 m to 4 m when adult and weighs anything from 100 kg to 500 kg. It has a fusiform body shape (streamlined) body colour varies from dark grey on the dorsal cape to pale grey on the side and white on the underside, which may have a pinkish glow when the summer water temperature is high. The basic biology of this species is well documented. The common bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus) hereafter referred to as “the bottlenose dolphin” is possibly the best known and most widely distributed of all Delphinidae species.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |