Nine dolphin species, and several more subspecies and local populations, are currently critically endangered or endangered, according to the most recent assessment by the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. September 12 marks World Dolphin Day, an awareness day created in 2022 by marine conservation nonprofit Sea Shepherd to bring attention to the threats that these highly intelligent […]
Tag: Bottlenose Dolphins
“Honestly, truly beyond belief…” It was a humongous 7 miles long, 5 miles wide and made up of a staggering 100,000 individuals…
When several dolphin pods join together, it’s known as a super pod. These can have hundreds or even thousands of dolphins all dancing through the waves In 2013, wildlife watchers off the coast of San Diego, California, were blessed with an encounter so special they may have had to pinch themselves to believe it wasn’t […]
‘Scavenger’ dolphins increasingly rely on trawlers for food in overfished Adriatic, say scientists
Bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic are increasingly following trawlers to scavenge for food, with baby dolphins learning the technique from their parents, a study has found. “These days the easiest way to find [bottlenose dolphins] is to look for trawlers,” said Giovanni Bearzi, a co-author of the study and the president of Dolphin Biology and Conservation in […]
It’s as long as a Ford Transit van – and has an elongated, odd-looking torpedo-shaped beak, perfect for grabbing slippery prey…
One of the most interesting traits of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin is their colour – or variations that differ between populations, age groups and individuals – from grey to white, even pink. Some look mottled or albino. Their shallow, coastal and estuarine (often murky water) habitat means they have adapted in some fascinating ways. Learn all […]
Strange, devil-like sea creatures are about to gather in huge numbers off ‘Europe’s Hawaii’. Here’s what’s going on
Sitting on the edge of a small dive boat, clad in a thick wetsuit and bulky scuba gear, every movement feels awkward and cumbersome. But with a deep breath, I roll backwards into the Atlantic Ocean. The instant rush of cool water is a relief, and the heaviness of the equipment eases as gravity releases […]
“They bore the marks of an attack, including rib fractures, internal haemorrhages and specific teeth marks.” 5 animals that kill excessively – seemingly just for fun
At 10am on 27 June 2018, researchers studying dolphins in a Belize mangrove, witnessed a gruesome spectacle. First, a group of four bottlenose dolphins separated a baby manatee from his mother. Then, one of them attacked the calf, biting it over and over again, and ramming it out of the water. The youngster later died […]
Belugas facing euthanasia at shuttered Canada theme park may find new homes in US
For about three decades, beluga whales and bottlenose dolphins greeted more than a million annual visitors to Marineland of Canada. In the sprawling 162-hectare (400-acre) theme park, located a stone’s throw from the world-famous Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada, dozens of cetaceans enthralled visitors — splashing, spyhopping and leaping in their concrete-lined tanks. Marineland’s peppy jingle, […]
“Beaching here could be lethal.” Dolphins in South Carolina have developed a genius – but deadly – hunting strategy. Watch the tense Attenborough-narrated footage
Famed for their intelligence, dolphins have developed an array of incredible hunting techniques. Whether using tools such as sponges and shells to access prey, or rounding up fish by creating mud nets or forcing them to form bait balls, they cooperate and share knowledge in unprecedented ways. But in South Carolina, USA, bottlenose dolphins have […]