Bahamas Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin

Bahamas snorkeling tours are popular for many reasons, chief among them the beautiful aquatic life that snorkelers will get to view. There are countless types of sea life, from living reefs to exotic tropical fish, all on display in nature's biggest free-range aquarium. The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin is one of the more popular sights, for good reason.

The Atlantic bottle nose dolphin, or Tursiops truncates, is a mammal who primarily eats small bait fish such as anchovies or shrimp. Though they generally travel in smaller groups of less than 30 individuals, they can sometimes be seen in huge pods of up to 1000 other dolphins. They have anywhere from 80-100 sharp conical teeth but do not chew their food, instead swallowing it whole. Their teeth are used for protection or for grasping things. They have also been seen raking their teeth across the skin of other dolphins in their pod, either to assert dominance or to put a misbehaving dolphin in its place, though no real damage is done. Dolphins use echolocation to hunt but also have great eyesight. They can see well in dim lighting, and their eyes are adapted to work in both water and air. They use air sacks near their blowhole to make noises, which they use to communicate with each other or for echolocation.

Dolphins in the warm waters of the Atlantic, especially the sub-tropical areas near Florida, are a bit smaller than their cousins who live in colder climates. They are grey and have a long snout and a blowhole that sits on top of their head. They can be as large as 13 feet long and weigh as much as 1400 pounds, though their size is generally less than half that. Females are generally a bit smaller than males. There are two distinct types of dolphins found in the Atlantic. They can interbreed, however, demonstrating that while they look slightly different they are very genetically similar.

Dolphins often hunt as a group, herding fish to an area where they can more easily be harvested. They even sometimes cooperate with human fishermen, herding fish towards nets and then using the ensuing confusion to enjoy a well-earned meal. This behavior isn't surprising considering their high intelligence, which has long been documented. They are used by the military to find bombs or enemy divers, and they have almost as many neurons in their brains as chimpanzees. They can learn new tricks from each other and use tools, including documented use of sponges on their snouts to block out sand.

Since they are mammals they breath air, give live birth, and breastfeed their young. Though dolphins can hold their breath longer than humans, they still generally take a breath every 20 or 30 seconds. Like humans, they sleep for about 8 hours but unlike women, a female dolphin is pregnant for a full year. Baby dolphins can be over 4 feet long and they can breastfeed up to a whopping 8 years, though it is often a much shorter length of time. It may be for this reason that dolphins generally don't give birth more than once every couple years, and then only to a single offspring. Twins are possible but rare. Female dolphins mature much more quickly than males, and can be ready to breed as young as 5 years old.

One reason they are so popular with people is their intelligence and the complexity of their behavior. While they can occasionally be aggressive, there have been many documented cases of dolphins rescuing not only other dolphins, but members of a different species. They have been seen leading stranded whales back to the ocean, and there are multiple accounts of dolphins aiding drowning humans or shielding them from sharks. Elian Gonzalez, the Cuban child rescued off the coast of Florida several years ago, claims that dolphins kept him from drowning. Is it any wonder that divers, snorkelers, and regular land-locked people are all fascinated with this complex animal?