Bottlenose Dolphin

Description:

They are grey, varying from dark grey at the top near the dorsal fin to very light grey and almost white at the underside. This countershading makes them hard to see, both from above and below, when swimming. Adults range in length between 2 and 4 metres (6.6 and 13 ft), and in weight between 150 and 650 kilograms (330 and 1,400 lb).[20] Males are, on average, slightly longer and considerably heavier than females. In most parts of the world, the adult's length is about 2.5 m (8.2 ft), with weight ranges between 200 and 300 kilograms (440 and 660 lb).[3] Their size varies considerably with habitat.

Habitat:

Lives in Tropical waters around the world. In the Pacific Ocean, bottlenose dolphins are found from northern Japan to Australia and from Southern California to Chile. They are also found offshore in the eastern tropical Pacific as far west as the Hawaiian Islands. Off the California coast bottlenose dolphins have been observed as far north as Monterey, particularly during years of unusual warmth.

Notes:

This was truly a magical moment. These wild bottlenose dolphins were so friendly playful and curious about me and my family on our boat. When we finally started our boat to ride out further into the ocean they swam close behind in the wake of our boat. One of the dolphins jumped clear out of the water posing perfectly for the camera as if to say goodbye before disappearing into the warm glittering ocean :)