Description:
A member of the family of toothed whales, the bottlenosed dolphin may reach a length of 12 feet and weigh 1,000 pounds.  Florida dolphins, however, are generally smaller, measuring approximately 8.5 feet in length and weighing up to 575 pounds.  Body color is typically light to dark gray or gray-green dorsally, fading to white ventrally.  The body is streamlined and fusiform in shape.   The snout is short and blunt, the head bulbous.  The dorsal fin is falcate in shape. Flukes are concave and notched in the center.  

Habitat:
Bottlenosed dolphins inhabit both inshore and offshore areas.  Offshore, bottlenosed dolphins congregate to form large herds.  Inshore, small groups are more commonly observed.

Range:
In the Atlantic Ocean, bottlenose dolphins range from Nova Scotia to Patagonia, and from Norway to South Africa. In the Pacific, they are found from Japan to Australia, the Hawaiian Islands, and from southern California to Chile.