Tursiops - Brief Summary
Everyone is familiar with the loveable dolphin known as Flipper, but most people are unaware that Tursiops truncatus, the common bottlenose dolphin, is only one of three bottlenosed dolphin species in the oceans today. The common bottlenosed dolphin is found in temperate and tropical waters worldwide, with sightings as as far north as Norway (Hammond et al., 2013) and far south as the Province of Chubut, in southern Argentina (Goodall et al., 2011). These friendly swimming mammals are found living offshore and inshore, whereas the other two species tend to occur closer to the coast.The smallest Tursiops is the Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus), which occurs along the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean from South Africa to Indonesia the waters fringing Southeast Asia, Australia, and Japan (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013). The other is Burrunan Dolphin (T. australis), a medium-sized species with a tri-colored face, found off Australia’s southern and southeastern shores (Charlton-Robb et al., 2011). Typically, the inshore species are smaller in size and lighter in color than their offshore relatives (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2103). All three species are very social and are found traveling in large groups, or small pods ranging anywhere from two to fifteen dolphins (MarineBio, 2013).
Dolphins are very social and they like to travel and hunt for food in groups. One method of communal hunting is known as “fish whacking.” Some may think of it as them playing with their food; however, this is a very effective strategy. When the T. truncatus engage in “fish whacking” they strike a fish with their flukes and knock it out of the water. As the tasty treat is airborne, they plunge out of the water and catch it mid-flight (NOAA, 2013). Although this not the most strategic form of hunting, it may offer some amusement for these intelligent and social mammals.
As with many mammal species, the males are considerably larger than the females and the females tend to outlive the males. Their length ranges anywhere from 6-12 ½ feet long. The average life expectancy for these mammals is about 40 to 45 years for males, and more than 50 years old for females. Females reach sexual maturity between 5 and 13 years of age, and males mature between 9 and 14 (NOAA, 2013). Once they are of age to reproduce, females will carry the calf for a twelve-month period. Around eighteen months of age the female will wean the calf (MarineBio, 2013).
Afalinlər (lat. Tursiops) — hazırda bu cinsə dörd növ daxildir: Afalina delfini (T. truncatus), Hind afalini (T. aduncus) və Avstraliya afalini (T. australis). Afalinlər ümumən delfinlər arasında ən məhşurlarıdır. Uzunluqları 2-4 metr, çəkiləri 150 - 650 kq arası dəyişir. Orta ömür müddəti 20 il, ancaq 40 ildən çox yaşada bilirlər.
Onlar Kiçik Kosatkalarla çütləşə bilirlər. Nəticədə Hibrid olan Osadelfinlər doğulur.
Afalin delfinlər Balinakimilər dəstəsinə daxildirlər. Son təsnifata görə cinsə üç növ daxildir.
Afalinlər (lat. Tursiops) — hazırda bu cinsə dörd növ daxildir: Afalina delfini (T. truncatus), Hind afalini (T. aduncus) və Avstraliya afalini (T. australis). Afalinlər ümumən delfinlər arasında ən məhşurlarıdır. Uzunluqları 2-4 metr, çəkiləri 150 - 650 kq arası dəyişir. Orta ömür müddəti 20 il, ancaq 40 ildən çox yaşada bilirlər.
Onlar Kiçik Kosatkalarla çütləşə bilirlər. Nəticədə Hibrid olan Osadelfinlər doğulur.
Tursiops, és un gènere de dofins de la família dels delfínids, o dofins oceànics. Són els dofins més comuns i coneguts. Estudis moleculars recents mostren que el gènere conté tres espècies, el dofí mular (T. truncatus), Tursiops australis i el dofí mular indo pacífic (T. aduncus). Els Tursiops viuen en mars càlids i temperats d'arreu del món.
Els Tursiops són de color gris i poden mesurar entre dos i quatre metres de llarg i pesar entre 150 i 650 quilograms. La seva característica més distintiva és el musell allargat. Tanmateix, com en totes les balenes i dofins, el musell no és el nas funcional. El nas funcional és l'espiracle situat a dalt del cap.
Tursiops er en slægt i familien delfiner med tre arter, der ligner hinanden meget.
Øresvinet (Tursiops truncatus) findes i alle oceaner (inklusiv Nordsøen og Middelhavet). Det indopacifiske øresvin (Tursiops aduncus) findes derimod især i tropiske kystområder ved Det Indiske Ocean og det vestlige Stillehav. Den nyopdagede tredje art Tursiops australis har et meget lille udbredelsesområde ved kysten og i laguner i den australske delstat Victoria.[1]
Man mente længe, at øresvinet var den eneste art i slægten Tursiops. Først omkring 2000 blev det indopacifiske øresvin anerkendt som selvstændig art, selv om den blev videnskabeligt beskrevet allerede i 1833.[2] I 2011 blev arten Tursiops australis tilføjet slægten. De undersøgte afsnit af dens mitochondrielle DNA afveg med 5,5 og 9,1 procent fra de to andre Tursiops-arter, hvilket er mere end for andre delfinarter i samme slægt. Søsterarten til Tursiops australis skulle være langnæbbet delfin (Stenella longirostris). Tursiops australis hører derfor nok til i en anden slægt, måske sammen med langnæbbet delfin.[1]
De tre arter i slægten Tursiops:
Tursiops ist eine Gattung der Delfine (Delphinidae). Zu der Gattung gehören insgesamt drei, sehr ähnliche Arten – der Große Tümmler (Tursiops truncatus), der Indopazifische Große Tümmler (Tursiops aduncus) und der erst 2011 beschriebene Burrunan-Delfin (Tursiops australis).[1]
Der Große Tümmler bewohnt die tropischen, subtropischen und gemäßigten Regionen aller Ozeane und kommt auch in der Nordsee und im Mittelmeer vor. Der Indopazifische Große Tümmler ist dagegen vor allem in indopazifischen, tropischen Küstengewässern über dem Kontinentalschelf anzutreffen. Er kommt vom Roten Meer und der Ostküste Afrikas über den Indischen Ozean bis zum westlichen Pazifik vor. Der Burrunan-Delfin hat ein sehr kleines Verbreitungsgebiet an der Küste und in Lagunen im australischen Bundesstaat Victoria.[1]
Tursiops-Arten werden maximal 2,6 bis 4,10 Meter lang, Weibchen bleiben in der Regel etwas kleiner. Sie sind weitgehend einfarbig grau bis blaugrau gefärbt. Die Bauchseite ist in der Regel heller. Der Schnabel (Schnauze) ist in Relation zur Kopflänge kürzer als bei den Delphinus und Stenella-Arten. Die Melone ist gut ausgeprägt und durch eine Falte von der Schnauze abgesetzt. Die Finne ist groß und sichelförmig.
Der Große Tümmler galt lange Zeit als einzige Art der Gattung Tursiops. Erst seit 2001 wird der schon 1833 beschriebene Indopazifische Großer Tümmler als eigenständige Art anerkannt.[2] Im Jahr 2011 kam schließlich der Burrunan-Delfin als dritte Art der Gattung hinzu. Die untersuchten Abschnitte seines Mitochondrien-Genoms unterscheiden sich aber um 5,5 und 9,1 Prozent von dem der beiden anderen Tursiops-Arten, das ist mehr als bei anderen Delfinarten, die in dieselbe Gattung gestellt werden. Schwesterart des Burrunan-Delfins soll der Ostpazifische Delfin (Stenella longirostris) sein. Die Autoren der Erstbeschreibung nehmen an, dass die Art bei einer zukünftigen Revision der Delfinfamilie in eine eigene Gattung gestellt wird und schlagen schon jetzt Tursiodelphis als Gattungsnamen vor.[1]
Tursiops ist eine Gattung der Delfine (Delphinidae). Zu der Gattung gehören insgesamt drei, sehr ähnliche Arten – der Große Tümmler (Tursiops truncatus), der Indopazifische Große Tümmler (Tursiops aduncus) und der erst 2011 beschriebene Burrunan-Delfin (Tursiops australis).
Афалиналар (лат. Tursiops) — делфиндердин бир уруусу, мунун кыйла түрлөрү жана түрчөлөрү бар: Атлантика афалинасы, Инди океан афалинасы (лат. T. aduncus), Түндүк Тынч океан афалинасы, Кара —Деңиз афалинасы ж.у.с.
Афалиналар (лат. Tursiops) — делфиндердин бир уруусу, мунун кыйла түрлөрү жана түрчөлөрү бар: Атлантика афалинасы, Инди океан афалинасы (лат. T. aduncus), Түндүк Тынч океан афалинасы, Кара —Деңиз афалинасы ж.у.с.
பாட்டில்நோஸ் டால்பின் (Bottlenose Dolphin) பெரிய மீனினமாகும். இது 2-4 மீட்டர் வரையான நீளமானதுடன் 150-650 வரையான கிலோகிராம் நிறையக் கொண்டதாகும். பாட்டில்நோஸ் டால்பின் வகையைச் சேர்ந்த ஆணினம் நீளத்திலும் எடையிலும் விசாலமானதாகும். 10-30 வரையான பாட்டில்நோஸ் டால்பின்கள் சேர்ந்து கூட்டமாகவே வாழும்.
Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus Tursiops. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins.[2] Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus).[3] Others, like the Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops (aduncus) australis), may be alternately considered their own species or be subspecies of T. aduncus.[4] Bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide, being found everywhere except for the Arctic and Antarctic Circle regions. Their name derives from the Latin tursio (dolphin) and truncatus for their characteristic truncated teeth.[5]
Numerous investigations of bottlenose dolphin intelligence have been conducted, examining mimicry, use of artificial language, object categorization, and self-recognition. They can use tools (sponging; using marine sponges to forage for food sources they normally could not access)[6] and transmit cultural knowledge from generation to generation, and their considerable intelligence has driven interaction with humans. Bottlenose dolphins gained popularity from aquarium shows and television programs such as Flipper. They have also been trained by militaries to locate sea mines or detect and mark enemy divers. In some areas, they cooperate with local fishermen by driving fish into their nets and eating the fish that escape. Some encounters with humans are harmful to the dolphins: people hunt them for food, and dolphins are killed inadvertently as a bycatch of tuna fishing and by getting caught in crab traps.
Bottlenose dolphins have the third largest encephalization levels of any mammal on Earth (humans have the largest, followed by Northern Right whale dolphins), sharing close ratios with those of humans and other cetaceans, while being twice as high of other great apes.[7] This more than likely contributes to their high intelligence and emotional intelligence.[8]
Scientists have been long aware of the fact that the Tursiops dolphins might consist of more than one species, as there is extensive variation in color and morphology along its range. In the past, most studies used morphology to evaluate differences between and within species, but in the late 20th century, combining morphological and molecular genetics allowed much greater insight into this previously intractable problem.[9] Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, most researchers acknowledged the existence of two species:[10] the common bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus), found in coastal and oceanic habitats of most tropical to temperate oceans, and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus), that lives in coastal waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern coast of Africa.
In 2011, a third distinct species was described, the Burrunan dolphin (T. (aduncus) australis), found in the Port Phillip and Gippsland Lakes areas of Victoria, Australia, after research showed it was distinct from T. truncatus and T. aduncus, both in morphology[11] and genetics.[12] Also, evidence has been accumulating to validate the existence of a separate species, Lahille's bottlenose dolphin, T. gephyreus,[13][14][15][16] that occurs in coastal waters of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil. The Society for Marine Mammalogy's Committee on Taxonomy,[17] presently recognizes only two species, T. truncatus and T. aduncus, and two subspecies: the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin (T. t. ponticus), that lives in the Black Sea, and Lahille's bottlenose dolphin (T. t. gephyreus). Other sources also accept the Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. t. gillii or T. gillii),[18] that inhabits the Pacific, and has a black line from the eye to the forehead.[19] The IUCN, on their Red List of endangered species, also recognises only two species of bottlenose dolphins.[20] The American Society of Mammalogists also recognizes only two species; while acknowledging the studies describing T. australis, it classifies it within T. aduncus.[4]
Much of the discussion and doubts about its taxonomy is related to the existence of two ecotypes of bottlenose dolphins in many part of its distribution. The two ecotypes of the common bottlenose dolphin within the western North Atlantic[21] are represented by the shallower water or coastal ecotype and the more offshore ecotype.[21] Their ranges overlap, but they have been shown to be genetically distinct.[21] They are not currently described, however, as separate species or subspecies. In general, genetic variation between populations is significant, even among nearby populations.[22] As a result of this genetic variation, other distinct species currently considered to be populations of common bottlenose dolphin are possible.[22]
Some recent genetic evidence suggests the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin belongs in the genus Stenella, since it is more like the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) than the common bottlenose dolphin.[23] However, more recent studies indicate that this is a consequence of reticulate evolution (such as past hybridization between Stenella and ancestral Tursiops) and incomplete lineage sorting, and thus support T. truncatus and T. aduncus belonging to the same genus.[24]
Bottlenose dolphins have been known to hybridize with other dolphin species. Hybrids with Risso's dolphin occur both in the wild and in captivity.[25][26] The best known hybrid is the wholphin, a false killer whale-bottlenose dolphin hybrid. The wholphin is fertile, and two currently live at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii. The first was born in 1985 to a female bottlenose. Wholphins also exist in the wild.[27] In captivity, a bottlenose dolphin and a rough-toothed dolphin hybridized.[28] A common dolphin-bottlenose dolphin hybrid born in captivity lives at SeaWorld California.[29][30] Other hybrids live in captivity around the world and in the wild, such as a bottlenose dolphin-Atlantic spotted dolphin hybrid.[31]
Bottlenose dolphins appeared during the Miocene.[32] Known fossil species include Tursiops osennae (late Miocene to early Pliocene)[33] from the Piacenzian coastal mudstone, and Tursiops miocaenus (Miocene) from the Burdigalian marine sandstone, all in Italy.[1]
The bottlenose dolphin weighs an average of 300 kg (660 pounds), but can range from 150 and 650 kg (330 and 1,430 lb).[34] It can reach a length of just over 4 meters (13 feet). Its color varies considerably, is usually dark gray on the back and lighter gray on the flanks, but it can be bluish-grey, brownish-grey, or even nearly black, and is often darker on the back from the rostrum to behind the dorsal fin. This is called countershading and is a form of camouflage. Older dolphins sometimes have a few spots.
Bottlenose dolphins can live for more than 40 years. Females typically live 5–10 years longer than males, with some females exceeding 60 years.[35][36][37] This extreme age is rare and less than 2% of all Bottlenose dolphins will live longer than 60 years.[38] Bottlenose dolphins can jump to a height of 6 metres (20 feet) in the air.[39]
Their elongated upper and lower jaws form what is called a rostrum, or snout, which gives the animal its common name.[40] The real, functional nose is the blowhole on top of its head; the nasal septum is visible when the blowhole is open.[35]
Bottlenose dolphins have 18 to 28 conical teeth on each side of each jaw.[35][40]
The flukes (lobes of the tail) and dorsal fin are formed of dense connective tissue and do not contain bone or muscle. The dorsal fin usually shows phenotypic variations that help discriminate among populations.[41] The animal propels itself by moving the flukes up and down. The pectoral flippers (at the sides of the body) are for steering; they contain bones homologous to the forelimbs of land mammals. A bottlenose dolphin discovered in Japan has two additional pectoral fins, or "hind legs", at the tail, about the size of a human's pair of hands. Scientists believe a mutation caused the ancient trait to reassert itself as a form of atavism.[42]
In colder waters, they have more body fat and blood, and are more suited to deeper diving. Typically, 18%–20% of their body weight is blubber.[43] Most research in this area has been restricted to the North Atlantic Ocean.[44] Bottlenose dolphins typically swim at 5 to 11 km/h (1.4 to 3.1 m/s), but are capable of bursts of up to 29 to 35 km/h (8.1 to 9.7 m/s). The higher speeds can only be sustained for a short time.[45][46]
The dolphin's search for food is aided by a form of sonar known as echolocation: it locates objects by producing sounds and listening for the echoes. A broadband burst pulse of clicking sounds is emitted in a focused beam in front of the dolphin. When the clicking sounds hit an object in the water, like a fish or rock, they bounce off and come back to the dolphin as echoes. Echolocation tells the dolphins the shape, size, speed, distance, and location of the object.[39] To hear the returning echo, they have two small ear openings behind the eyes, but most sound waves are transmitted to the inner ear through the lower jaw. As the object of interest is approached, the echo becomes booming, and the dolphins adjust by decreasing the intensity of the emitted sounds. (This contrasts with bats and sonar, which reduce the sensitivity of the sound receptor.) The interclick interval also decreases as the animal nears the target. Evidently, the dolphin waits for each click's echo before clicking again. Echolocation details, such as signal strength, spectral qualities, and discrimination, are well understood by researchers.[47] Bottlenose dolphins are also able to extract shape information, suggesting they are able to form an "echoic image" or sound picture of their targets.[48]
Dolphins have sharp eyesight. The eyes are located at the sides of the head and have a tapetum lucidum, or reflecting membrane, at the back of the retina, which aids vision in dim light. Their horseshoe-shaped, double-slit pupils enable dolphins to have good vision both in air and underwater, despite the different indices of refraction of these media.[49] When under water, the eyeball's lens serves to focus light, whereas in the in-air environment, the typically bright light serves to contract the specialized pupil, resulting in sharpness from a smaller aperture (similar to a pinhole camera).[50]
By contrast, a bottlenose's sense of smell is poor,[51] because its blowhole, the analog to the nose, is closed when underwater and it opens only for breathing. It has no olfactory nerves or olfactory lobe in the brain.[51] Bottlenose dolphins are able to detect salty, sweet, bitter (quinine sulphate), and sour (citric acid) tastes, but this has not been well-studied.[51] Anecdotally, some individuals in captivity have been noted to have preferences for food fish types, although it is not clear if taste mediates this preference.[51]
In 2022, a study at the University of St Andrews in Scotland found that dolphins were able to identify their "friends" and family members by the taste of their urine in the water.[52][53]
Bottlenose dolphins communicate through burst pulsed sounds, whistles, and body language.[54] Examples of body language include leaping out of the water, snapping jaws, slapping the tail on the surface and butting heads.[55] Sounds and gestures help keep track of other dolphins in the group, and alert other dolphins to danger and nearby food. Lacking vocal cords, they produce sounds using six air sacs near their blow hole. Each animal has a uniquely identifying, frequency-modulated narrow-band signature vocalization (signature whistle).[56]
Researchers from the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI), based in Sardinia (Italy) have now shown whistles and burst pulsed sounds are vital to the animals' social life and mirror their behaviors.[57]
The tonal whistle sounds (the most melodious ones) allow dolphins to stay in contact with each other (above all, mothers and offspring), and to coordinate hunting strategies.[58] The burst-pulsed sounds (which are more complex and varied than the whistles) are used "to avoid physical aggression in situations of high excitement", such as when they are competing for the same piece of food, for example. The dolphins emit these strident sounds when in the presence of other individuals moving towards the same prey. The "least dominant" one soon moves away to avoid confrontation.[57]
Other communication uses about 30 distinguishable sounds, and although famously proposed by John C. Lilly in the 1950s, no "dolphin language" has been found. However, Herman, Richards, and Wolz demonstrated comprehension of an artificial language by two bottlenose dolphins (named Akeakamai and Phoenix) in the period of skepticism toward animal language following Herbert Terrace's critique.[59]
Cognitive abilities that have been investigated include concept formation, sensory skills, and mental representations. Such research has been ongoing since the 1970s. This includes: acoustic and behavioral mimicry,[60][61] comprehension of novel sequences in an artificial language,[62][63] memory,[64] monitoring of self behavior,[65] discrimination and matching,[64][66] comprehension of symbols for various body parts,[67] comprehension of pointing gestures and gaze (as made by dolphins or humans),[68][69] mirror self-recognition,[70][71] and numerical values.[72]
At least some wild bottlenose dolphins use tools. In Shark Bay, off Western Australia, dolphins place a marine sponge on their rostrum, presumably to protect it when searching for food on the sandy sea bottom.[73] This has only been observed in this bay (first in 1997), and is predominantly practiced by females. A 2005 study showed mothers most likely teach the behavior to their offspring, evincing culture (behavior learned from other species members).[74][75]
Mud plume feeding is a feeding technique performed by a small community of bottlenose dolphins over shallow seagrass beds (less than 1 m) in the Florida Keys in the United States. The behavior involves creation of a U-shaped plume of mud in the water column and then rushing through the plume to capture fish.[76]
Along the beaches and tidal marshes of South Carolina and Georgia in the United States, bottlenose dolphins cooperatively herd prey fish onto steep and sandy banks in a practice known as "strand feeding". Groups of between two and six dolphins are regularly observed creating a bow wave to force the fish out of the water. The dolphins follow the fish, stranding themselves briefly, to eat their prey before twisting their bodies back and forth in order to slide back into the water.[77] While initially documented in South Carolina and Georgia, strand feeding has also been observed in Louisiana, Texas, Baja California, Ecuador, and Australia.[78]
Some Mauritanian dolphins cooperate with human fishermen. The dolphins drive a school of fish towards the shore, where humans await with nets. In the confusion of casting nets, the dolphins catch a large number of fish as well. Intraspecies cooperative foraging has also been observed. These behaviors may also be transmitted via teaching. Controversially, Rendell and Whitehead have proposed a structure for the study of cetacean culture.[79][80] Similar cases have been observed in Laguna, Santa Catarina in Brazil since during 19th century as well.[81][82]
Near Adelaide, in South Australia, several bottlenose dolphins "tail-walk", whereby they elevate the upper part of their bodies vertically out of the water, and propel themselves along the surface with powerful tail movements. Tail-walking mostly arises via human training in dolphinaria. In the 1980s, a female from the local population was kept at a local dolphinarium for three weeks, and the scientist suggests she copied the tail-walking behavior from other dolphins. Two other wild adult female dolphins copied it from her,[83] and the behaviour has continued through generations until 2022.[84][85][86]
A study conducted by the University of Chicago showed that bottlenose dolphins can remember whistles of other dolphins they had lived with after 20 years of separation. Each dolphin has a unique whistle that functions like a name, allowing the marine mammals to keep close social bonds. The new research shows that dolphins have the longest memory yet known in any species other than humans.[87][84]
The bottlenose dolphins of John's Pass in Boca Ciega Bay, St. Petersburg, Florida, exhibit a rare form of self-decoration and social object use called grass-wearing. Self-decoration by wearing grass appears to be an attention-getting device rather than purely play and varies from a single blade to large clusters of grass. John's Pass dolphins self-decorate with grass primarily when they form new social groups or engage in procreative activities. Grass-wearing behavior among these dolphins is a local behavioral tradition that could constitute a cultural difference from other communities.[88]
Some researchers hypothesize that the number of nerve cells (neurons) in the cortex of the brain predicts intelligence in mammals.[89] A 2019 study estimated the number of neurons in the cerebral cortex of three common bottlenose dolphins and found numbers ranging from 11.7 to 15.2 billion neurons.[90] The human average being approximately 16 billion, this is likely within the range found in the human population.[91]
Bottlenose dolphins have a lifespan of 40–60 years. Females can outlive males and live for 60 years or more. Dolphins start to reproduce aged 5 to 15 years.[92]
The bottlenose dolphin has a single blowhole located on the dorsal surface of the head consisting of a hole and a muscular flap. The flap is closed during muscle relaxation and opens during contraction.[93] Dolphins are voluntary breathers, who must deliberately surface and open their blowholes to get air. They can store almost twice as much oxygen in proportion to their body weight as a human can: the dolphin can store 36 milliliters (ml) of oxygen per kg of body weight, compared with 20 ml per kg for humans. This is an adaptation to diving.[94] The bottlenose dolphin typically rises to the surface to breathe through its blowhole two to three times per minute,[43] although it can remain submerged for up to 20 minutes.[95]
Dolphins can breathe while "half-asleep". During the sleeping cycle, one brain hemisphere remains active, while the other hemisphere shuts down. The active hemisphere handles surfacing and breathing behavior.[96] The daily sleeping cycle lasts for about 8 hours, in increments of minutes to hours. During the sleeping cycle, they remain near the surface, swimming slowly or "logging", and occasionally closing one eye.[95]
Both sexes have genital slits on the underside of their bodies. The male can retract and conceal his penis through his slit.[97][98] The female's slit houses her vagina and anus. Females have two mammary slits, each housing one nipple, one on each side of the genital slit.[99] The ability to stow their reproductive organs (especially in males) allows for maximum hydrodynamics. The breeding season produces significant physiological changes in males. At that time, the testes enlarge, enabling them to hold more sperm. Large amounts of sperm allow a male to wash away the previous suitor's sperm, while leaving some of his own for fertilization. Also, sperm concentration markedly increases. Having less sperm for out-of-season social mating means it wastes less. This suggests sperm production is energetically expensive. Males have large testes in relation to their body size.[100]
During the breeding season, males compete for access to females. Such competition can take the form of fighting other males or of herding females to prevent access by other males.[101][102] In Shark Bay, male bottlenose dolphins have been observed working in pairs or larger groups to follow and/or restrict the movement of a female for weeks at a time, waiting for her to become sexually receptive.[101][103] These coalitions, also known as male reproductive alliances, will fight with other coalitions for control of females.[103] Humans and dolphins are the only species that share this type of "gang formation" habit as a form of cooperation.[104]
Mating occurs belly to belly.[102] Dolphins have been observed engaging in intercourse when the females are not in their estrous cycles and cannot produce young, suggesting they may mate for pleasure.[105][106] The gestation period averages 12 months.[22] Births can occur at any time of year, although peaks occur in warmer months.[2] The young are born in shallow water, sometimes assisted by a (possibly male) "midwife", and usually only a single calf is born.[107] Twins are possible, but rare. Newborn bottlenose dolphins are 0.8 to 1.4 m (2.6 to 4.6 ft) long and weigh 9 to 30 kg (20 to 66 lb), with Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin infants being generally smaller than common bottlenose dolphin infants.[22] To accelerate nursing, the mother can eject milk from her mammary glands. The calf suckles for 18 months to up to 8 years,[108] and continues to closely associate with its mother for several years after weaning.[35] Females sexually mature at ages 5–13, males at ages 9–14.[2] Females reproduce every two to six years. Reproduction is moderately seasonal (September–January), peaking from October to December. Calf loss between August and December is followed by rapid conception (1–2 months), whereas conception is delayed (2–9 months) if calf loss occurs between January and July. Weaning ages ranged from 2.7 to 8.0 years, but 66.7% (42 calves) were weaned by their fourth birthday. Females tended to wean mid-pregnancy. Group size was unrelated to water depth or female reproductive success, but reproductive success was predicted by water depth. Shallow water may allow mothers and calves to detect and avoid predatory sharks. Alternatively, or additionally, prey density may be higher in shallow water compared to deep water.[22]
Georgetown University professor Janet Mann argues the strong personal behavior among male calves is about bond formation and benefits the species in an evolutionary context. She cites studies showing these dolphins as adults are inseparable, and that early bonds aid protection, as well as in locating females.[109]
Female bottlenose dolphins have to expend additional energy in carrying out parental care, e.g., infant-carrying behavior. Dolphins do not physically hold their infants but line up in an echelon position with infants swimming beside them. This position creates a change of water flow pattern from the infant which minimizes separation between the mother and infant, but also increases the mother's surface area and creates a drag for the swimmer. This also leaves less energy to use in swimming speed, foraging, and predator evasion.[110]
Adult males live mostly alone or in groups of two to three, and join pods for short periods of time. Adult females and young dolphins normally live in groups of up to 15 animals.[22] Males give strong mutual support if other males help them, even if they are not friends.[111] However, they live in fission-fusion societies of varying group size, within which individuals change associations, often on a daily or hourly basis.[112][113] Group compositions are usually determined by sex, age, reproductive condition, familial relations and affiliation histories. In a dolphin community near Sarasota, Florida, the most common group types are adult females with their recent offspring, older subadults of both sexes, and adult males either alone or in bonded pairs.[114] Smaller groups can join to form larger groups of 100 or more, and occasionally exceed 1,000.[22][115] The social strategies of marine mammals such as bottlenose dolphins "provide interesting parallels" with the social strategies of elephants and chimpanzees.[116]: 519
Bottlenose dolphins studied by Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute researchers off the island of Sardinia show random social behavior while feeding, and their social behavior does not depend on feeding activity.[117] In Sardinia, the presence of a floating marine fin-fish farm has been linked to a change in bottlenose dolphin distribution as a result of high fish density around the floating cages in the farming area.[118]
Fish is one of the main items in the dolphin diet. They also eat shrimps, squid, mollusks, and cuttlefish, and only swallow the soft parts. They eat 22 pounds of fish a day. When they encounter a shoal of fish, they work as a team to herd them towards the shore to maximize the harvest.[22] They also hunt alone, often targeting bottom-dwelling species. The bottlenose dolphin sometimes hits a fish with its fluke, sometimes knocking it out of the water, using a strategy called "fish whacking".[36][119] "Strand feeding" is an inherited feeding technique used by bottlenose dolphins near and around coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina. When a pod finds a school of fish, they will circle the school and trap the fish in a mini whirlpool. Then, the dolphins will charge at the school and push their bodies up onto a mud-flat, forcing the fish on the mud-flat, as well. The dolphins then crawl around on their sides, consuming the fish they washed up on shore. This happens only during low tides.[120]
One type of feeding behavior seen in bottlenose dolphins is mud ring feeding.[121]
Bottlenose dolphins conflict with small-scale coastal commercial fisheries in some Mediterranean areas. Common bottlenose dolphins are probably attracted to fishing nets because they offer a concentrated food source.[122]
Dolphins can exhibit altruistic behaviour toward other sea creatures. On Mahia Beach, New Zealand, on March 10, 2008,[123] two pygmy sperm whales, a female and calf, stranded on the beach. Rescuers attempted to refloat them four times. Shortly, a playful bottlenose dolphin known to local residents as Moko arrived and, after apparently vocalizing at the whales, led them 200 m (660 ft) along a sandbar to the open sea, saving them from imminent euthanasia.[124] In 2019 a female was observed caring for a juvenile melon-headed whale, the first reported instance of a bottlenose dolphin adopting a non-conspecific infant.[125]
The bottlenose dolphin can behave aggressively. Males fight for rank and access to females. During mating season, males compete vigorously with each other through displays of toughness and size, with a series of acts, such as head-butting. They display aggression towards sharks and smaller dolphin species. At least one population, off Scotland, has practiced infanticide, and also has attacked and killed harbour porpoises. University of Aberdeen researchers say the dolphins do not eat their victims, but are simply competing for food.[126] However, Dr. Read of Duke University, a porpoise expert researching similar cases of porpoise killings that had occurred in Virginia in 1996 and 1997, holds a different view. He states dolphins and porpoises feed on different types of fish, thus food competition is an unlikely cause of the killings.[127] Similar behaviour has been observed in Ireland.[128] In the first half of July 2014, four attacks with three porpoise fatalities were observed and caught on video by the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre in the Cardigan Bay, Wales.[129]
The bottlenose dolphin sometimes forms mixed species groups with other species from the dolphin family, particularly larger species, such as the short-finned pilot whale, the false killer whale and Risso's dolphin.[101][130][131] They also interact with smaller species, such as the Atlantic spotted dolphin and the rough-toothed dolphin.[101][132] While interactions with smaller species are sometimes affiliative, they can also be hostile.[101]
Some large shark species, such as the tiger shark, the dusky shark, the great white shark and the bull shark, prey on the bottlenose dolphin, especially calves.[102][133][134][135][136] The bottlenose dolphin is capable of defending itself by charging the predator; dolphin 'mobbing' behavior of sharks can occasionally prove fatal for the shark.[133] Targeting a single adult dolphin can be dangerous for a shark of similar size. Killer whale populations in New Zealand and Peru have been observed preying on bottlenose dolphins, but this seems rare,[133] and other orcas may swim with dolphins. Swimming in pods allows dolphins to better defend themselves against predators. Bottlenose dolphins either use complex evasive strategies to outswim their predators, or mobbing techniques to batter the predator to death or force it to flee.[137]
The species sometimes shows curiosity towards humans in or near water. Occasionally, they rescue injured divers by raising them to the surface. They also do this to help injured members of their own species.[133] In November 2004, a dramatic report of dolphin intervention came from New Zealand. Four lifeguards, swimming 100 m (330 ft) off the coast near Whangarei, were approached by a shark (reportedly a great white shark). Bottlenose dolphins herded the swimmers together and surrounded them for 40 minutes, preventing the shark from attacking, as they slowly swam to shore.[138]
In coastal regions, dolphins run the risk of colliding with boats. Researchers of the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute first quantified data about solitary bottlenose dolphin diving behavior in the presence and absence of boats. Dolphins responded more to tourist than fishing vessels. Driving behavior, speed, engine type and separation distance all affected dolphin safety.[139]
However, dolphins in these areas can also coexist with humans. For example, in the town of Laguna in south Brazil, a pod of bottlenose dolphins resides in the estuary, and some of its members cooperate with humans. These cooperating dolphins are individually recognized by the local fishermen, who name them. The fishermen typically stand up to their knees in the shallow waters or sit in canoes, waiting for the dolphins. Now and then, one or more dolphins appear, driving the fish towards the line of fishermen. One dolphin then displays a unique body movement outside the water, which serves as a signal to the fishermen to cast their nets (the entire sequence is shown here,[82] and a detailed description of the signal's characteristics is available here[140]). In this unique form of cooperation, the dolphins gain because the fish are disoriented and because the fish cannot escape to shallow water where the larger dolphins cannot swim. Likewise, studies show that fishermen casting their nets following the unique signal catch more fish than when fishing alone, without the help of the dolphins.[141] The dolphins were not trained for this behavior; the collaboration began before 1847. Similar cooperative fisheries also exist in Mauritania, Africa.[142]
Commercial 'dolphin encounter' enterprises and tours operate in many countries. The documentary film The Cove documents how dolphins are captured and sold to some of these enterprises (particularly in Asia) while the remaining pod is slaughtered. In addition to such endeavors, the individuals swim with and surface near surfers at the beach.[143] Bottlenose dolphins perform in many aquaria, generating controversy. Animal welfare activists and certain scientists have claimed that the dolphins do not have adequate space or receive adequate care or stimulation.[144] However, others, notably SeaWorld, counter by claiming that the dolphins are properly cared for, have much environmental stimulation and enjoy interacting with humans.[133][145]
Eight bottlenose dolphins that lived at the Marine Life Aquarium in Gulfport, Mississippi were swept away from their aquarium pool during Hurricane Katrina. They were later found in the Gulf of Mexico and returned to captivity.[146]
The military of the United States and Russia train bottlenose dolphins as military dolphins for wartime tasks, such as locating sea mines and detecting enemy divers.[147][148] The U.S.'s program is the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, located in San Diego.[149]
Tião was a well-known solitary male bottlenose dolphin that was first spotted in the town of São Sebastião in Brazil around 1994 and frequently allowed humans to interact with him. The dolphin became infamous for killing a swimmer and injuring many others, which later earned him the nickname "Killer Dolphin".[150]
The popular television show Flipper, created by Ivan Tors, portrayed a bottlenose dolphin[151] in a friendly relationship with two boys, Sandy and Bud. A seagoing "Lassie", Flipper understood English and was a hero: "Go tell Dad we're in trouble, Flipper! Hurry!" The show's theme song contains the lyric "no one you see / is smarter than he". The television show was based on a 1963 film, with a sequel, Flipper's New Adventure (1964), and was remade as a feature film in 1996, starring Elijah Wood and Paul Hogan, as well as a second TV series running from 1995 to 2000, starring Jessica Alba.[152]
Other television appearances by bottlenose dolphins include Wonder Woman, Highway to Heaven, Dolphin Cove, seaQuest DSV, and The Penguins of Madagascar, in which a dolphin, Doctor Blowhole, is a villain. In the HBO movie Zeus and Roxanne, a female bottlenose dolphin befriends a male dog, and in Secrets of the Bermuda Triangle (1996 Ian Toynton movie), a girl named Annie (played by Lisa Jakub) swims with dolphins. Human and dolphin interaction segments, shot on location in the Florida Keys with Dolphin Research Center, are featured on Sesame Street and on a Halloween episode of The Simpsons, Treehouse of Horror XI.[153]
Dolphin Tale, directed by Charles Martin Smith, starring Nathan Gamble, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Kris Kristofferson, is based on the real-life story of the dolphin Winter, who was rescued from a crab trap in December 2005 and lost her tail, but learned to swim with a prosthetic one.[154] Dolphin Tale 2, a sequel to the 2011 film, featured another rescued dolphin named Hope and an appearance by Bethany Hamilton. The sequel was released on September 12, 2014.[155] The NFL's Miami Dolphins uses the bottlenose dolphin as its mascot and team logo.[156] Factual descriptions of the dolphins date back into antiquity — the writings of Aristotle, Oppian and Pliny the Elder all mention the species.[2][157]
Millions of dolphins drown in fishing nets. Tuna fishing crews have been the most responsible for the largest number of deaths. In 1972, the U.S. government passed a law limiting the number of dolphins that could be killed yearly by tuna fishing crews. Dolphins in the United Kingdom have also been found to contain high levels of pollutants in their tissues. Heavy metals including mercury, PCB's and DDT are of great concern. These pollutants can cause harm in dolphins growth development, reproduction, and immunity. Since the mid-1990s, hundreds of dolphins have been trained to perform in shows presented by aquariums, zoos, and amusement parks. Scientists conduct various types of research to understand the dolphin's communication system.[158]
The man-made chemical perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) may be compromising the immune system of bottlenose dolphins.[159] PFOS affects the immune system of male mice at a concentration of 91.5 ppb,[160] while PFOS has been reported in bottlenose dolphins in excess of 1 ppm.[161] High levels of metal contaminants have been measured in tissues in many areas of the globe. A recent study found high levels of cadmium and mercury in bottlenose dolphins from South Australia,[162] levels which were later found to be associated with kidney malformations, indicating possible health effects of high heavy metal concentrations in dolphins.[163]
Bottlenose dolphins are not endangered. Their future is stable because of their abundance and adaptability. However, specific populations are threatened due to various environmental changes. The population in the Moray Firth in Scotland is estimated to consist of around 190 individuals, and are under threat from harassment, traumatic injury, water pollution and reduction in food availability.[164] Likewise, an isolated population in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand, is in decline due to calf loss coincident to an increase in warm freshwater discharge into the fiord.[165] Less local climate change, such as increasing water temperature may also play a role but has never been shown to be the case.[166] One of the largest coastal populations of bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia was forecast to be stable with little variation in mortality over time (Manlik et al. 2016).[167]
In United States waters, hunting and harassing of marine mammals is forbidden in almost all circumstances, from passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.[168]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus Tursiops. They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). Others, like the Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops (aduncus) australis), may be alternately considered their own species or be subspecies of T. aduncus. Bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide, being found everywhere except for the Arctic and Antarctic Circle regions. Their name derives from the Latin tursio (dolphin) and truncatus for their characteristic truncated teeth.
Numerous investigations of bottlenose dolphin intelligence have been conducted, examining mimicry, use of artificial language, object categorization, and self-recognition. They can use tools (sponging; using marine sponges to forage for food sources they normally could not access) and transmit cultural knowledge from generation to generation, and their considerable intelligence has driven interaction with humans. Bottlenose dolphins gained popularity from aquarium shows and television programs such as Flipper. They have also been trained by militaries to locate sea mines or detect and mark enemy divers. In some areas, they cooperate with local fishermen by driving fish into their nets and eating the fish that escape. Some encounters with humans are harmful to the dolphins: people hunt them for food, and dolphins are killed inadvertently as a bycatch of tuna fishing and by getting caught in crab traps.
Bottlenose dolphins have the third largest encephalization levels of any mammal on Earth (humans have the largest, followed by Northern Right whale dolphins), sharing close ratios with those of humans and other cetaceans, while being twice as high of other great apes. This more than likely contributes to their high intelligence and emotional intelligence.
La botelnazaj delfenoj aŭ tursiopoj, nome genro Tursiops, estas la plej oftaj membroj de la familio Delfenedoj, nome familio de oceanaj delfenoj.[1] Molekulaj studoj montris, ke la genro enhavas tri speciojn: nome la ordinara botelnaza delfeno (Tursiops truncatus), la Kurba tursiopo (Tursiops aduncus),[2] kaj la Aŭstrala tursiopo (Tursiops australis). La botelnazaj delfenoj vivas en varmaj kaj moderaj maroj tutmonde, kaj povas troviĝi ĉie ajn escepte ĉe la regionoj de la Arkta kaj Antarkta Cirkloj.
Botelnazaj delfenoj vivas en grupoj. Ili vivas en varmaj oceanoj kaj tropikaj maroj. Nombraj esploroj pri la inteligento de botelnazuloj estis faritaj, ekzamenante kamuflimitadon, uzadon de animala lingvaĵo, kategoriigo de objektoj, kaj memrekono. Ili povas uzi ilojn (spongoj; uzante marspongojn por manĝi manĝaĵojn al kiuj ili normale ne povus alveni)[3] kaj transmiti kulturan sciaron el generacio al generacio, kaj ilia konsiderinda inteligento permesis interagadon kun homoj. Botelnazaj delfenoj akiris popularecon el akvariaj montroj kaj televidaj programoj kiel Flipper. Ili ankaŭ estis trejnitaj de militistoj por lokigi marminojn aŭ detekti kaj marki malamikajn subnaĝantojn. En kelkaj areoj, ili kunlaboras kun lokaj fiŝkaptistoj pelante fiŝojn al la retoj kaj manânte la fuĝintajn fiŝojn. Kelkaj renkontoj kun homoj estas damaĝaj por la delfenoj: personoj ĉasas ilin por manĝo, kaj la delfenoj estas krome mortigitaj neintence kiel aldona kaptado de tinusa fiŝkaptado aŭ kaptitaj en krabkaptiloj.
La plej profunda subnaĝado iam registrita por botelnazulo estis de 300 metroj. Tio estis plenumita de Tuffy, delfeno trejinita de la Usona mararmeo.[4] [5]
Nellie, la plej long-viva Atlantika botelnazulo sub homa zorgo, mortis je aĝo de 61 la 30an de Aprilo, 2014. Nellie naskiĝis la 27an de Februaro 1953 en Marineland.[6] [7] [8] [9]
Botelnazaj delfenoj havas la duajn plej grandajn nivelojn de encefaligo el ajnaj mamuloj sur la Tero (homoj havas la plej grandajn), kaj ili kunhavas proporciojn proksimajn al tiuj de homoj kaj aliaj grandaj simioj, kiuj pli ol verŝajne kontribuas al sia nekredebla alta inteligento kaj emocia inteligenteco.[10]
La botelnazaj delfenoj aŭ tursiopoj, nome genro Tursiops, estas la plej oftaj membroj de la familio Delfenedoj, nome familio de oceanaj delfenoj. Molekulaj studoj montris, ke la genro enhavas tri speciojn: nome la ordinara botelnaza delfeno (Tursiops truncatus), la Kurba tursiopo (Tursiops aduncus), kaj la Aŭstrala tursiopo (Tursiops australis). La botelnazaj delfenoj vivas en varmaj kaj moderaj maroj tutmonde, kaj povas troviĝi ĉie ajn escepte ĉe la regionoj de la Arkta kaj Antarkta Cirkloj.
Botelnazaj delfenoj vivas en grupoj. Ili vivas en varmaj oceanoj kaj tropikaj maroj. Nombraj esploroj pri la inteligento de botelnazuloj estis faritaj, ekzamenante kamuflimitadon, uzadon de animala lingvaĵo, kategoriigo de objektoj, kaj memrekono. Ili povas uzi ilojn (spongoj; uzante marspongojn por manĝi manĝaĵojn al kiuj ili normale ne povus alveni) kaj transmiti kulturan sciaron el generacio al generacio, kaj ilia konsiderinda inteligento permesis interagadon kun homoj. Botelnazaj delfenoj akiris popularecon el akvariaj montroj kaj televidaj programoj kiel Flipper. Ili ankaŭ estis trejnitaj de militistoj por lokigi marminojn aŭ detekti kaj marki malamikajn subnaĝantojn. En kelkaj areoj, ili kunlaboras kun lokaj fiŝkaptistoj pelante fiŝojn al la retoj kaj manânte la fuĝintajn fiŝojn. Kelkaj renkontoj kun homoj estas damaĝaj por la delfenoj: personoj ĉasas ilin por manĝo, kaj la delfenoj estas krome mortigitaj neintence kiel aldona kaptado de tinusa fiŝkaptado aŭ kaptitaj en krabkaptiloj.
La plej profunda subnaĝado iam registrita por botelnazulo estis de 300 metroj. Tio estis plenumita de Tuffy, delfeno trejinita de la Usona mararmeo.
Nellie, la plej long-viva Atlantika botelnazulo sub homa zorgo, mortis je aĝo de 61 la 30an de Aprilo, 2014. Nellie naskiĝis la 27an de Februaro 1953 en Marineland.
Botelnazaj delfenoj havas la duajn plej grandajn nivelojn de encefaligo el ajnaj mamuloj sur la Tero (homoj havas la plej grandajn), kaj ili kunhavas proporciojn proksimajn al tiuj de homoj kaj aliaj grandaj simioj, kiuj pli ol verŝajne kontribuas al sia nekredebla alta inteligento kaj emocia inteligenteco.
Tursiops es un género de cetáceo de la familia delphinidae conocidos vulgarmente como "delfines nariz de botella", que es el más conocido de dicha familia.
Tradicionalmente han sido descritas dos especies: Tursiops truncatus y Tursiops aduncus, si bien recientes estudios morfológicos y de ADN han permitido incluir una tercera especie (Tursiops australis) habitante en el sur de Australia, y una cuarta (Tursiops gephyreus) que vive en el sudeste de Sudamérica.[1][2]
Tursiops es un género de cetáceo de la familia delphinidae conocidos vulgarmente como "delfines nariz de botella", que es el más conocido de dicha familia.
Tradicionalmente han sido descritas dos especies: Tursiops truncatus y Tursiops aduncus, si bien recientes estudios morfológicos y de ADN han permitido incluir una tercera especie (Tursiops australis) habitante en el sur de Australia, y una cuarta (Tursiops gephyreus) que vive en el sudeste de Sudamérica.
Tursiops Delphinidae familiako generoetako bat da. Orain-berriki arte, uste zen espezie bakarra zela, Tursiops truncatus; egindako analisi genetikoek, ordea, bi espezie identifikatu dituzte, eta Tursiops aduncus gehitu zaio espezieen zerrendari. Mundu osoko itsaso epeletan bizi dira. 2 eta 4 metro arteko luzera izan dezakete, eta 150 eta 650 kilogramo arteko pisua.
Le Tursiops est un genre animal de la famille des cétacés.
Ce genre comprend trois espèces :
Tursiops é un xénero de cetáceos odontocetos da familia dos delfínidos que reúne tres especies coñecidas como arroaces, que se encontran amplamente difundidas en todos os mares do mundo.
O nome latino Tursiops deriva do grego antigo θύρσος týrsos, "tirso", o báculo enramado que levaba o deus Baco e as bacantes que participaban no seu culto, e o elemento do latín científico -ops, que deriva do grego ώψ óps, "vista", "aparencia", e que quizais fose o nome dunha especie de golfiño,[2] ou talvez do feito que os arroaces se denominen en inglés bottlenose dolphins, é dicir, "golfiños con fociño de botella".
Durante moito tempo os científicos pensaron que o xénero Tursiops era monoespecífico, coa única especie Tursiops truncatus, aínda que moitos pensaban en que podería haber máis dunha.
Desde que en 1998 Rice recoñeceu como válida a especie Tursiops aduncus (que fora descrita por Ehrenberg en 1833) houbo un crecente consenso de que o xénero estaba formado por estas dúas especies.[1]
Pero recentes estudos de xenética molecular permitiron un mellor coñecemento deste problema, anteriormente insuperábel, e unha terceira especie, Tursiops australis foi descrita en 2011.[3]
Polo tanto, na actualidade están recoñecidas tres especies dentro do xénero:
As principais características das especies do xénero Tursiops son as seguintes:[4]
Tursiops é un xénero de cetáceos odontocetos da familia dos delfínidos que reúne tres especies coñecidas como arroaces, que se encontran amplamente difundidas en todos os mares do mundo.
Stökkull[1][2] (fræðiheiti: Tursiops truncatus) einnig nefndur höfrungur og dettir er meðalstór tannhvalur og er ein af tveimur tegundum í ættkvíslinni Tursiops. Þeir eru hluti af ættinni Delphinidae og eru meðal algengustu höfrunga á hafsvæðinu við sunnanvert Ísland.[3]
Stökklar eru sennilegast þekktasta höfrungategundin og sú sem líffræðingar hafa rannsakað mest.[4] Hvalurinn er grár á lit og er dekkri á baki en á kvið en litaskil ekki skörp. Hann er gildvaxinn og hefur breiðari haus og skrokk en flestar tegundir höfrunga. Trýnið er stutt og afmarkað frá kúptu enninu. Hornið er miðsvæðis á bakinu og er fremur stórt og eins eru bægslin hlutfallslega stór og aftursveigð. Munur er á stærð fullvaxinna dýra, tarfarnir eru ívið lengri en kýrnar, um 2,5 og allt að 4,1 metra en kýrnar 2,4 til 3,7) en talsvert gildvaxnari og þyngri.[5]
Vitað er að stökklar geta orðið allt að 40 ára í dýragörðum[6] en virðast villtir verða yfirleitt um 20 ára.[7]
Stökkla má finna á hitabeltis- og heittempruðum hafsvæðum allt í kringum jörðina og er víða algengur. Þetta er ein algengasta tegund höfrunga við Ísland og er hafsvæðið suður af landinu á nyrðri útbreiðslumörkum tegundarinnar.
Eins og aðrir höfrungar eru stökklar hópdýr,[8] oftast um 15 til 20 dýr, en á hafi úti geta þeir verið mun fleiri tugir eða hundruð. Einfarar eru þó einnig algengir hjá báðum kynjum. algengt er að sjá stökkul í slagtogi við aðrar höfrungategundir sérlega grindhvali.
Stökklar éta fjölda tegunda fiska og smokkfiska auk rækju og er af mörgum álitin vera sú hvalategund sem sýnt hefur mesta aðlögunarhæfni. Meirihluti fæðutegunda eru botnfiskar en uppsjávartegundir eru einnig algengar. Samvinna við veiðar er algeng meðal stökkla og smala þeir bráðinni saman í hóp og gera svo árás. Djúpsjávarfiskar sem fundist hafa í maga stökkla benda til að þeir geti kafað allt að 500 metra dýpi. En þeir hafa einnig lært að notfæra sér fæðu sem til fellur frá fiskiskipum.
Helsta hætta stökkla eru árásir hákarla og bera þeir oft ör eftir hákarlskjafta.
Stofnstærð stökkla í heiminum er óþekkt, sést tegundin yfirleitt í öllum hvalatalningaleiðöngrum Hafrannsóknastofnunnar við Ísland og ekkert gefur til kynna að henni sé að fækka hér við land.
Veiðar hafa verið stundaðar á tegundinni víða um heim, meðal annars í Svartahafi, í Perú, Sri Lanka og við Japan. Við Færeyjar veiðast árlega stökklar í blönduðum hópum með grindhval. Beinar veiðar á stökkli hafa aldrei verið stundaðar við Ísland.
Án efa eru stökklar sú tegund hvala sem algengust hefur verið til sýningarhalds í sædýrasöfnum.
Stökkull (fræðiheiti: Tursiops truncatus) einnig nefndur höfrungur og dettir er meðalstór tannhvalur og er ein af tveimur tegundum í ættkvíslinni Tursiops. Þeir eru hluti af ættinni Delphinidae og eru meðal algengustu höfrunga á hafsvæðinu við sunnanvert Ísland.
Tursiops Gervais, 1855 è un genere di cetacei odontoceti, appartenente alla famiglia Delphinidae.
Gli scienziati sono stati per molto tempo consapevoli che al genere Tursiops dovesse essere ascritta più di una specie, ma le prove erano assenti.
L'avvento delle moderne tecniche di biologia molecolare ha permesso di dipanare questo dubbio e oggi il mondo accademico è d'accordo sul fatto che esistano almeno due specie ascrivibili al genere Tursiops:
Molti dati scientifici del passato considerano le due specie come una singola e questo è uno dei motivi per cui l'IUCN le considera entrambe come "data deficient" nella lista rossa delle specie in pericolo. Recenti prove genetiche suggeriscono che il tursiope indo-pacifico debba essere ascritto al genere Stenella, essendo più vicino alla stenella maculata atlantica (Stenella frontalis) che al T. truncatus. La questione è comunque tuttora controversa e alcuni scienziati, come LeDuc e Curry sostengono che il genere Tursiops abbia bisogno di una sostanziale revisione. Le seguenti sono invece talvolta riconosciute come sottospecie di T. truncatus:
Inoltre nel 2011 è stata aggiunta una terza specie, appena descritta e riconosciuta in Australia[1].
Quindi attualmente le specie di tursiope sono:
Tursiops Gervais, 1855 è un genere di cetacei odontoceti, appartenente alla famiglia Delphinidae.
Pudeļdeguna delfīni jeb afalīnas (Tursiops) ir viena no delfīnu dzimtas (Delphinidae) ģintīm, kas saskaņā ar jaunākajiem ģenētiskajiem pētījumiem apvieno 3 mūsdienās dzīvojošas sugas.[1][2][3] Vēl nesenā pagātnē uzskatīja, ka ģintī ir tikai viena suga — pudeļdeguna delfīns (Tursiops truncatus). Tā kā šīs ģints delfīni visa gada garumā uzturas krasta tuvumā, tie ir vieni no visbiežāk sastopamajiem un labāk pazīstamajiem delfīniem pasaulē. Pudeļdeguna delfīni ir arī vieni no populārākajiem delfīniem nebrīvē un tos plaši izmanto delfīnu atrakciju parkos visā pasaulē.[4] Tie mājo siltos un mērenos ūdeņos Atlantijas, Indijas un Klusajā okeānā.
Pudeļdeguna delfīni ir samērā liela auguma delfīni, ar kompaktu, spēcīgu augumu un samērā īsu, tomēr labi nodalītu no galvas, izteiktu purna daļu, kas ir apmēram 8 cm gara. Savu nosaukumu šie delfīni ieguvuši, pateicoties purna līdzībai ar vecā stila džina pudeles kakliņu.[4][5] Muguras spura ir gara un sirpjveidīga, atrodas apmēram muguras vidusdaļā.[4] Pudeļdeguna delfīni var būt dažāda trumšuma pelēkos toņos, sākot ar gaiši pelēkiem īpatņiem un beidzot ar gandrīz melniem delfīniem. To vēderi ir balti, reizēm ar rozīgu toni.
Pieauguši delfīni ir 1,75—4 m gari, to svars ir 150—650 kg.[3][6][7][8] Tēviņi ir nedaudz lielāki nekā mātītes. Visās pasaules daļās pudeļdeguna delfīnu vidējais ķermeņa garums ir apmēram 2,5 m, svars 200—300 kg.[9] To lielumu ietekmē dzīves vieta un barības resursi. Mazākie mājo Klusā okeāna austrumdaļas tropiskajos ūdeņos. Delfīni, kas mājo vēsākos ūdeņos, izaug lielāki.[10]
Pudeļdeguna delfīni ir ļoti draudzīgi un komunikabli (dzīvo grupās, līdz 30 īpatņiem[3]), savstarpēji sazinoties gan ar dažādām skaņām (svilpieniem, klakšķiem un spiedzieniem), gan ķermeņa valodu (ar lēcieniem, spuru un astes sišanu pa ūdens virsmu, žokļu klabināšanu, u.c.). Tie ir atlētiski un enerģiski un spēj lēkt ārpus ūdens 6 metru augstumā.[11] Pudeļdeguna delfīniem ir spēcīgi attīstīts eholokācijas orgāns, ko sauc par meloni un kas atrodas pieres daļā. Delfīns peldot nepārtraukti izdod klikšķošas skaņas, tās atstarojas pret dažādiem šķēršļiem okeānā un atgriežoties tiek uztvertas ar meloni, sniedzot informāciju par telpu apkārt dzīvniekam. Delfīns spēj noteikt attālumu līdz šķērslim, šķēršļa formu, lielumu, ja šķērslis pārvietojas, tā ātrumu un tā mainīgo atrašanās vietu telpā.[11] Pudeļdeguna delfīniem ir arī ļoti laba dzirde. Zinātnieki uzskata, ka delfīni skaņu uztver ar apakšžokli, pēc tam to novadot uz iekšējo ausi.[11] Dzīves ilgums var pārsniegt 40 gadu vecumu.
Salīdzinot ar pudeļdeguna delfīnu, Indijas okeāna pudeļdeguna delfīnam ir slaidāks, garāks purns, dažos gadījumos tam ir vairāk zobu. Tā eholokācijas orgāns — melone — pieres daļā ir mazāka, līdz ar to galva kopumā izskatās mazāka. Arī tā ķermenis ir slaidāks, smalkāks, bet muguras spura garāka un pie pamatnes platāka.[7] Salīdzinoši Austrālijas pudeļdeguna delfīnam ir atšķirīga ķermeņa krāsa. Tam var izdalīt trīs izteiktas krāsu joslas: tumši pelēka mugura, gaiši pelēki sāni un krēmīgi balts vēders. Turklāt balta ir arī sejas apakšējā daļa, bet gaiši pelēkie sāni beidzas pie dzīvnieka pleciem.[3] Pārējām sugām tumši pelēkā krāsa uz muguras plūstošāk kļūst par balto krāsu uz vēdera.[8] Austrālijas pudeļdeguna delfīnam ir plata astes spura, liela, apaļa galva un īsāks purns kā citiem pudeļdeguna delfīniem.[3]
Pudeļdeguna delfīni jeb afalīnas (Tursiops) ir viena no delfīnu dzimtas (Delphinidae) ģintīm, kas saskaņā ar jaunākajiem ģenētiskajiem pētījumiem apvieno 3 mūsdienās dzīvojošas sugas. Vēl nesenā pagātnē uzskatīja, ka ģintī ir tikai viena suga — pudeļdeguna delfīns (Tursiops truncatus). Tā kā šīs ģints delfīni visa gada garumā uzturas krasta tuvumā, tie ir vieni no visbiežāk sastopamajiem un labāk pazīstamajiem delfīniem pasaulē. Pudeļdeguna delfīni ir arī vieni no populārākajiem delfīniem nebrīvē un tos plaši izmanto delfīnu atrakciju parkos visā pasaulē. Tie mājo siltos un mērenos ūdeņos Atlantijas, Indijas un Klusajā okeānā.
Tursiops is een geslacht van dolfijnen uit de familie Delphinidae (Dolfijnen).
Tursiops is een geslacht van dolfijnen uit de familie Delphinidae (Dolfijnen).
Tumlere (Tursiops) er en slekt blant delfinene som består av to anerkjente arter, hvorav en ganske nylig ble klassifisert som egen art. Dette er klassiske delfiner som blir omkring 1,75–3,70 meter lange og veier omkring 150–650 kg. Tumlere har et relativt kort kjeveparti med tenner. Oversiden av kroppen er mørk grå og undersiden er lys grå.
Tidligere regnet man kun en art til denne slekten, men oppdagelsen av en nye art i Indiahavet førte til at det nå er to arter i gruppa. Det finnes imidlertid flere selvstendige populasjoner av tumlere, for eksempel utenfor kysten av Sør-Afrika og utenfor det vestre Australia. Studier av disse populasjonene kan føre til flere nye arter.[1]
Tumlere (Tursiops) er en slekt blant delfinene som består av to anerkjente arter, hvorav en ganske nylig ble klassifisert som egen art. Dette er klassiske delfiner som blir omkring 1,75–3,70 meter lange og veier omkring 150–650 kg. Tumlere har et relativt kort kjeveparti med tenner. Oversiden av kroppen er mørk grå og undersiden er lys grå.
Multimedia w Wikimedia Commons Butlonos[5] (Tursiops) – rodzaj ssaka z rodziny delfinowatych (Delphinidae).
Rodzaj obejmuje gatunki występujące we wszystkich wodach świata[6].
Delfiny z tego rodzaju są duże, mają od 2 do 4 m długości. Mają szarą skórę, wystające czoło i pysk z żuchwą wysuniętą dalej niż szczęka.
Nazwa rodzajowa jest połączeniem nazwy rodzaju Tursio J. E. Gray, 1843 z greckim słowem ωψ ōps, ωπος ōpos – „wygląd”[7].
Delphinus truncatus Montagu, 1821
Do rodzaju należą następujące gatunki[5][6]:
Ponadto niektórzy autorzy wyróżniają jeszcze Tursiops maugeanus[8].
Butlonos (Tursiops) – rodzaj ssaka z rodziny delfinowatych (Delphinidae).
Tursiops é um gênero de golfinhos cosmopolita. Três espécies são identificadas neste gênero altamente polimórfico:
Tursiops é um gênero de golfinhos cosmopolita. Três espécies são identificadas neste gênero altamente polimórfico:
Tursiops aduncus (Ehrenberg, 1833) - Golfinho-nariz-de-garrafa-indopacífico Tursiops australis Charlton-Robb et al., 2011 - Golfinho-burrunan Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) – Golfinho-nariz-de-garrafa ou roaz-corniveiroTursiops är ett släkte i familjen delfiner med tre arter där öresvinet är den mest kända.
Arterna når vanligen en kroppslängd mellan 1,75 och 4,00 meter samt en vikt mellan 150 och 200 kg. Sällan dokumenteras upp till 650 kg tunga individer. Bröstfenorna är mellan 30 och 50 cm långa och den trekantiga ryggfenan är cirka 25 cm hög. Kroppsfärgen på ovansidan är mörkgrå till blågrå och undersidan är ljusare. Bröst- och stjärtfenor är oftast lite mörkare än övriga kroppen. Nosen skytar tydlig fram från övriga huvudet. I varje käkhalva förekommer 20 till 28 tänder.[1]
Öresvinet förekommer i tempererade, subtropiska och tropiska hav över hela världen. Den vistas även i bihav som Nordsjön eller Medelhavet. Den indopacifiska arten lever däremot nära kustlinjen av Indiska oceanen och sydvästra Stilla havet.[1] Tursiops australis hittas bara kring Australien.[2]
Länge räknades öresvinet som enda art i släktet. Omkring året 2000 godkändes den redan 1833 beskrivna populationen i Indiska oceanen som självständig art.[3] 2011 beskrevs Tursiops australis som den tredje arten i släktet. Undersökningar av arternas mitokondriella DNA visade avvikelser mellan 5,5 och 9,1 procent mellan T. australis och de andra två arterna. Enligt studien utgör spinndelfinen (Stenella longirostris) systertaxon till T. australis och därför rekommenderar zoologerna att den nya arten i framtiden listas i ett eget släkte med det vetenskapliga namnet Tursiodelphis.[2]
Wikimedia Commons har media som rör Tursiops.
Tursiops är ett släkte i familjen delfiner med tre arter där öresvinet är den mest kända.
Indopacifiskt öresvin (Tursiops aduncus) Tursiops australis Öresvin (Tursiops truncatus)Назва роду походить від тюрк. тур. афал-афал — «ошалілий».
Рід вміщує два види:
Видовий ранг в частині досліджень надають також формі:
Перший з них представлений у фауні України (фауна Чорного моря) підвидом Афаліна чорноморська (Tursiops truncatus ponticus)
Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. — JHU Press, 2005. — Т. 1. — С. 734. — ISBN 0801882214.. Сторінка про рід Tursiops: [1]
Tursiops là một chi động vật có vú trong họ Delphinidae, bộ Cetacea. Chi này được Gervais miêu tả năm 1855.[1] Loài điển hình của chi này là Delphinus truncatus Montagu, 1821.
Chi này gồm các loài:
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Tursiops là một chi động vật có vú trong họ Delphinidae, bộ Cetacea. Chi này được Gervais miêu tả năm 1855. Loài điển hình của chi này là Delphinus truncatus Montagu, 1821.
Афали́ны (лат. Tursiops) — род дельфинов, состоящий из трёх видов: афалины (T. truncatus), индийской афалины (T. aduncus) и австралийской афалины (T. australis). Афалины являются самыми известными и распространёнными дельфинами. Длина тела составляет от 2 до 4 метров, вес от 150 до 650 килограммов. Средняя продолжительность жизни около 20 лет, однако могут жить и больше 40 лет.
Могут скрещиваться с малыми косатками, давая гибриды — косаткодельфинов.
Афалин относят к семейству дельфиновых отряда китообразных. Согласно последним исследованиям род афалин включает три вида.
Это заготовка статьи по зоологии. Вы можете помочь проекту, дополнив её. 
Афали́ны (лат. Tursiops) — род дельфинов, состоящий из трёх видов: афалины (T. truncatus), индийской афалины (T. aduncus) и австралийской афалины (T. australis). Афалины являются самыми известными и распространёнными дельфинами. Длина тела составляет от 2 до 4 метров, вес от 150 до 650 килограммов. Средняя продолжительность жизни около 20 лет, однако могут жить и больше 40 лет.
Могут скрещиваться с малыми косатками, давая гибриды — косаткодельфинов.
寬吻海豚屬（學名：Tursiops）是海豚科下最為人所知及普遍的一類。[1]分子生物學研究顯示其下有兩個物種：瓶鼻海豚及印度太洋瓶鼻海豚，而非只有一種。牠們棲息在溫帶的海域。
寬吻海豚屬會以10-30條的群落生活，有些數量可以少至1條或達至成千條。牠們主要吃魚類。牠們有時會合作捕捉魚群，也有獨自覓食的。牠們主要是靠回聲定位來尋找獵物。牠們會發出聲音及聽其回聲來確定身邊物件（包括獵物）的位置及大小。牠們也會利用聲音及身體語言來溝通。
寬吻海豚屬具有高度的智慧，包括模仿、使用人工語言、物件分類及自我認知等，這促使牠們與人類之間的互動。牠們在水族箱非常受歡迎，也有受訓來進行水雷及敵方蛙人定位。在一些地區，牠們可以與漁民合作將魚群引到漁網中。
傳統上，寬吻海豚屬只有一個物種，故不能分辨其結構。而國際自然保護聯盟因此在IUCN紅色名錄缺乏數據。[2]分子遺傳學提供了更好的工具來進行研究，並發現共有兩個物種：[3]
以下的有時被認為是寬吻海豚的亞種：
寬吻海豚在西北大西洋有兩個生態型：[8]即較淺水或近岸的生態型及離岸的生態型。[8]牠們的分佈地重疊，但遺傳基因上各有不同。[8]不過，牠們並沒有被描述為不同的物種或亞種。一般而言，牠們具有足夠的群落遺傳變異來描述為獨立的物種。[4]
一些遺傳學證據指印太洋瓶鼻海豚屬於細吻海豚屬，因其外觀較像花斑原海豚而多於寬吻海豚。[9][10]
寬吻海豚屬與其他海豚都有混種。野生及圈養的情況下，寬吻海豚屬都有與灰海豚都有混種。[11][12]鯨豚是偽虎鯨與寬吻海豚的混種。鯨豚具生殖能力，現有兩條在夏威夷海洋公園（Sea Life Park），第一條是於1985年出生的雌性鯨豚。鯨豚也有野生的。[13]圈養的寬吻海豚屬與糙齒海豚有混種。[14]在加利福尼亞州的海洋世界（SeaWorld）出生了寬吻海豚屬及海豚屬的混種。[15][16]其他的包括與花斑原海豚的混種[17]，其大小會按棲息環境而改變。除了在東太平洋外，在較溫暖及淺水的海豚會較為細小。[1]
寬吻海豚屬呈灰色，頂部近背鰭位置由深灰色至淺灰色，腹部呈接近白色。反蔭蔽令牠們不易被看見。成年長2-4米及重150-650公斤。[18]雄性平均稍長及較重。在大部份地區，雄性約長2.5米及重200-300公斤。[4]
寬吻海豚屬的壽命可以多過40歲。[19][20]不過在美國佛羅里達州薩拉索塔（Sarasota）的研究卻發現牠們只有平20歲或更少的壽命。[21]
寬吻海豚屬的上下顎較長。其真正的鼻子是在頭頂上的噴氣孔，當噴氣孔打開時，可以清晰看見其鼻中隔。
寬吻海豚屬上下顎每邊各有18-28顆錐狀牙齒。[19][22]
尾巴及背鰭是由高密度的結締組織組成，並不含有骨頭或肌肉。它們的動力是靠上下擺動尾巴。胸鰭是用來操舵的，內中有與陸上哺乳動物相同的骨頭。在日本的寬吻海豚屬在近尾巴位置有兩條額外的胸鰭，大小如人類的手掌。科學家相信這是返祖現象。[23]
在較寒冷的海域，寬吻海豚屬有較多的脂肪及血液，較為適合潛入深海。一般其體重的18–20%為鯨脂。[24]大部份的研究都只限於北大西洋。[25]
寬吻海豚屬是靠聲納形式的回聲定位來幫助覓食。它們會發出聲音，並聽取其回聲來替物件定位。牠們會在前頭發出喀喇聲的寬帶脈衝群，並利用眼後兩隻細小的耳穴來聆聽回聲，不過大部份的聲波則是經下顎傳入內耳。當物件接近時，其回聲漸大，牠們就會調低發出聲音的強度及增加頻度。牠們會等待每一次喀喇聲的回聲後才發出另一次。科學家也有就訊號強度、聲譜性質等進行研究。[26]牠們甚至可以從中獲得物件形狀的資訊。[27]
寬吻海豚屬的視覺非常敏銳。眼睛位於頭部兩側，並有絨氈層可以在暗光下幫助視覺。牠們的瞳孔呈馬蹄狀及有雙縫，令牠們在水中及空氣中也可以有很好的視覺。[28]當在水中時，其眼球內的晶體用來聚焦光線；但當在空氣中時，充足的光線會令瞳孔收縮，形成精確度高的影象。
寬吻海豚屬的嗅覺很差[29]，這是由於其鼻子（噴氣孔）在水中是緊閉有關。牠們的腦部沒有嗅神經或嗅葉。[29]牠們可以分辨鹹味、甜味、苦味及酸味。[29]一些圈養的寬吻海豚屬對某些食物有特別偏好，但並不清楚是否與嗅覺有關。[29]
寬吻海豚屬會以吱吱聲、吹哨聲及身體語言來溝通。身體語言的例子包括跳出水面、咬顎、拍尾及頭撞。[30]聲音及動作可以在群落中記錄其他成員的位置，也可以通報危險及食物。由於沒有聲帶，牠們是利用近噴氣孔的6個氣囊來發聲。每一隻寬吻海豚屬都有獨特的發聲聲頻。[31]雖然約翰‧立利（John C. Lilly）於1950年代提倡沒有海豚語言，但現已分辨了其他30種聲音。也有學者展示了兩隻寬吻海豚屬的人工語言詞彙。[32]
寬吻海豚屬具有認知的能力，包括概念學習、感官技能及精神表達。有關的研究都是自1970年代開始的，包括：
一些野生的寬吻海豚屬懂得使用工具。在鯊魚灣（Shark Bay），牠們會將水生的多孔動物門放在吻上，當牠們在沙質海床覓食時，可以起保護的作用。[45]這種情況只有在鯊魚灣出現，而且只有雌性會這樣作。海獺是另外一種懂得使用工具的水生哺乳動物。於2005年的一項研究發現這種行為很有可能是由母親傳授的，顯示出一種文化。[46]毛里塔尼亞的一些寬吻海豚屬會與漁民合作。牠們會將魚群引到岸邊的漁網中，並從中得到大量食物。牠們種內也會合作覓食，也有可能是由上一代傳授的。另外也有學者建議了鯨目文化的研究結構。[47][48]
在南澳洲州近阿德萊德，寬吻海豚屬會以尾巴在水面上「行走」，即將身體上半部直立於水面之上，以尾巴推動身體運動。這可以是源自人類的訓練。於1980年代，一條雌海豚被當地的海豚館收留了3星期，而科學家認為牠於此時模仿了其他海豚的行為。另外兩條雌性海豚亦模仿了牠的動作。[49]
一些研究人員認為哺乳動物的智能是與大腦皮質上神經元的數量有關。[50]寬吻海豚屬就有約5.8億個皮層神經元，而人類有11.5億個，黑猩猩屬有6.2億個，大猩猩則有4.3億個。[50]
寬吻海豚屬只有一個噴氣孔，位於頭頂，由一個孔及皮瓣組成。當肌肉放鬆時，皮瓣就會關閉；相反肌肉收縮時，皮瓣就會打開。[51]牠們是主動呼吸的，須走出水面打開噴氣孔來吸取空氣。牠們所儲存的氧氣量與身體的比例可以是人類的兩倍。牠們每公斤的體重就可以儲存36毫升氧氣。[52]這是潛水的一種適應性。[52]牠們一般每分鐘會升到水面2-3次來呼吸[53]，而牠們可以潛水達20分鐘。[54]
寬吻海豚半睡狀態下也可以呼吸。當睡覺時，牠們其中一邊腦會繼續運作，而另一邊則停止。活躍的腦部可以處理浮潛及呼吸的行為。[55]牠們每日睡覺約8小時。睡覺時牠們會留在近水面慢游，間歇閉起一隻眼睛。[54]
雄性及雌性寬吻海豚屬的腹部都有生殖裂口。雄性可以收縮其陰莖在裂口中。[56]雌性的裂口內藏陰道及肛門。雌性有兩個乳房裂口，每一個有一個乳頭。[57][57]這種收藏生殖器官的能力可以加強流體動力。
雄性會互相爭競到雌性前。牠們之間可以是互相打鬥或阻止雌性與其他雄性接觸。[58][59]牠們以腹向腹來交配。[59]雌性也會未在動情週期時進行交配。
繁殖季節時，雄性會出現很多變化。雄性的睪丸會變大，以儲存更多的精子。大量精子可以沖走前者的精子，並讓卵子受精。牠們的精子的濃度也會提高，以減少浪費精子。雄性的睪丸與身體比例較大。[60]
妊娠期平均為12個月。[4]一年只會生一胎，高峰期是於較溫暖的季節。[1]幼生於淺水區出生，出生時有雄性助產，每次多都只會生一條。[61]有時有可能會有孿生，但很稀有。新生的寬吻海豚長0.8-1.4米及重9-30公斤；而印太洋瓶鼻海豚一般都較為細小。[4]
為加速護理，母親會從乳腺噴出乳汁。幼生的會吃奶18-20個月，並會靠在母親身邊直至斷奶後的幾年。[19]雌性於5-13歲大就達至性成熟，雄性則要9-14歲。[1]雌性每2-6年會繁殖一次。[4]
雄性寬吻海豚屬會成對或成群的跟隨或限制雌性活動達幾星期之久，待她適合交配。[58]
成年雄性寬吻海豚屬很多時都是單獨或以2-3條的小群生活。成年雌性及幼生一般都會以達15條的群落生活。[4]不過，群落的大小會經常改變，往往以日或小時來計算。[62][63]一般而言，成年雌性及初生的會組成一群，而幼生的會雌雄一起生活。群落可以結合，形成達100條以上，甚至1000條的大群落。[4]
寬吻海豚屬的社群行為與覓食無關。[64]在撒丁島，魚類養殖場影響著寬吻海豚屬的分佈。[65]
寬吻海豚屬主要吃細小的魚類、甲殼類及魷魚。[1][4]雖然不同地方的群落有不同喜好，但一般都喜歡吃鯔科及鯖科。[1]
牠們錐狀的牙齒可以咬住而非咀嚼食物。[66][67]當遇到魚群時，牠們會合作將獵物逼到近岸區域以增加收獲。[4]牠們也會獨自覓食，一般都以底棲物種為目標。牠們有時以尾巴擊打小魚，將之打出水面。[20][68] " 在地中海，寬吻海豚屬會與近岸漁民有衝突。由於漁網有密集的食物供應，故寬吻海豚有可能會被漁網所吸引。[69]
寬吻海豚屬在近南卡羅來納州海岸會傳授覓食的技巧。當一群寬吻海豚屬發現魚群時，牠們會圍起魚群。牠們會將身體貼近泥床，逼魚群也貼近泥床。牠們會爬到兩邊吃沖上岸的魚類。
寬吻海豚屬對其他海洋生物會展示利他的行為。例如在新西蘭的瑪希亞沙灘（Mahia Beach）就曾有兩條小抹香鯨擱淺了。[70]拯救人員嘗試了4次也未能將牠們帶回水中。後來一條寬吻海豚屬來到，彷彿與小抺香鯨溝通後，引領牠們沿沙州走了200米回到海中。[71]
寬吻海豚屬也會帶有攻擊性。雄性會為地位及與雌性交配而打鬥。在繁殖季節，雄性會互相激烈地競爭。牠們對鯊魚、某些殺人鯨及較細小的海豚會表現攻擊性。在蘇格蘭對出的群落是會殺嬰的，並且會攻擊及殺死鼠海豚。研究發現牠們並非獵食，而只為減低對食物的競爭。[72]在愛爾蘭也觀察到相似的行為。[73]
寬吻海豚屬有時會與其他海豚科物種組成混合群落，尤其是短肢領航鯨、偽虎鯨及灰海豚。[58][74][75]牠們與較細小的物種也有互動，如花斑原海豚及糙齒海豚。[58][76]這些互動有時較為親和，但也會帶有攻擊性。[58]
有些較大的鯊魚，如虎鯊、灰色真鯊、大白鯊及公牛鯊會獵食寬吻海豚屬。[59][77][78][79][80]寬吻海豚屬可以保護自己，其至將鯊魚殺死。[77]攻擊體形相似的成年海豚對鯊魚來說是非常危險。某些殺人鯨群落也會掠食寬吻海豚屬，但情況甚少。[77]
寬吻海豚屬成群一起時可以保護自己。牠們可以使用複雜的逃避方式，或排擠技術對抗掠食者。
寬吻海豚屬有時對人類會感到好奇。牠們有時會拯救受傷的潛水員。牠們也會幫助受傷的同類。[77]例如於2004年11月，在旺阿雷對出100米有大白鯊接近4個救生員。寬吻海豚屬圍住他們40分鐘，防止鯊魚襲擊他們。[81]
在海岸區，寬吻海豚屬很易撞上船隻。研究人員將獨行的寬吻海豚屬在船隻出沒與否時潛水行為量化了。[82]牠們對回應旅客而多於捕魚船。船隻的航行、速度、引擎類型及分隔距離均會影響牠們的安全。
寬吻海豚屬在很多水族箱都會進行表演，引發很多爭論。一些動物福利的活躍分子指牠們沒有獲得足夠的空間或照顧。但是有指牠們已得到適當的照顧及享受與人類的關係。[77][83]
殘疾兒童的治療包括與寬吻海豚屬的互動。[77]
美國及俄羅斯軍隊訓練寬吻海豚屬來進行軍事任務，如找出水雷位置及偵測敵方蛙人。[84][85]
在巴西拉古納，寬吻海豚屬會將魚群引到站在淺水區的漁民處。當漁民放出漁網時，一條海豚會翻轉。牠們就會吃逃走的魚類。牠們沒有受任何訓練，最初於1847年出現。相似的情況在非洲的毛里塔尼亞也有出現。[86]
寬吻海豚屬會因海洋館表演需求及肉品等經濟利益而被獵，商人與政府則宣稱為維護傳統，且為減低對魚類的競爭而有獵殺的必要。[87]牠們經常會與鮪魚一同出入，往往會被漁網所捕獲，或因而死亡。[22][88]
全氟辛基磺酸會影響寬吻海豚屬的免疫系統。[89]只要91.5十億分率就足以影響雄性老鼠的免疫系統[90]；而只要多於1百萬分率就可以影響寬吻海豚屬。[91]
在全球很多地區都發現寬吻海豚屬的組織內有高含量的金屬污染物。於南澳洲州的寬吻海豚屬就含有大量的鎘及汞[92]，是令其腎衰竭等的元兇。[93]
寬吻海豚屬並非瀕危。因數量豐富及適應性強，牠們的將來非常穩定。不過，某些群落因多種環境轉變而受到威脅。在摩瑞灣（Moray Firth）及蘇格蘭的群落估計約有150條，但因騷擾、傷害、水污染及食物供應減少等而每年減少6%。另外，在新西蘭的群落亦因幼生死亡而數量減少。[94]微弱的氣候轉變（如水溫上升）也對牠們有影響。[95]
在美國水域，獵殺及騷擾海生哺乳動物是禁止的。國際海豚貿易也有嚴格限制。
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|access-date=中的日期值 (帮助) |date=中的日期值 (帮助) |url=值 (帮助). BBC. 2004-11-08 [2008-09-30]. 引文格式1维护：日期与年 (link) 寬吻海豚屬（學名：Tursiops）是海豚科下最為人所知及普遍的一類。分子生物學研究顯示其下有兩個物種：瓶鼻海豚及印度太洋瓶鼻海豚，而非只有一種。牠們棲息在溫帶的海域。
寬吻海豚屬會以10-30條的群落生活，有些數量可以少至1條或達至成千條。牠們主要吃魚類。牠們有時會合作捕捉魚群，也有獨自覓食的。牠們主要是靠回聲定位來尋找獵物。牠們會發出聲音及聽其回聲來確定身邊物件（包括獵物）的位置及大小。牠們也會利用聲音及身體語言來溝通。
寬吻海豚屬具有高度的智慧，包括模仿、使用人工語言、物件分類及自我認知等，這促使牠們與人類之間的互動。牠們在水族箱非常受歡迎，也有受訓來進行水雷及敵方蛙人定位。在一些地區，牠們可以與漁民合作將魚群引到漁網中。
分類 界 : 動物界 Animalia 門 : 脊索動物門 Chordata 亜門 : 脊椎動物亜門 Vertebrata 綱 : 哺乳綱 Mammalia 目 : 鯨偶蹄目 Cetartiodactyla 亜目 : ハクジラ亜目 Odontoceti 科 : マイルカ科 Delphinidae 属 : ハンドウイルカ属 Tursiops 学名 Tursiopsハンドウイルカ属（半道海豚属、Tursiops ）は、クジラ目ハクジラ亜目マイルカ科に属する属の一つ。ハンドウイルカ属はハンドウイルカ (T. truncatus ) とミナミハンドウイルカ (T. aduncus)とブルナンイルカ(T. australis) の 3 種で構成される[1]。以前はミナミハンドウイルカはハンドウイルカの亜種とされることもあったが、現在は別の種とされている。また、ブルナンイルカは他の2種のいずれかに属すると考えられていたが、2011年に別種であることが分かった[1]。詳細は個別の項目を参照されたい。
ハンドウイルカ属 Tursiops
ハンドウイルカ属（半道海豚属、Tursiops ）は、クジラ目ハクジラ亜目マイルカ科に属する属の一つ。ハンドウイルカ属はハンドウイルカ (T. truncatus ) とミナミハンドウイルカ (T. aduncus)とブルナンイルカ(T. australis) の 3 種で構成される。以前はミナミハンドウイルカはハンドウイルカの亜種とされることもあったが、現在は別の種とされている。また、ブルナンイルカは他の2種のいずれかに属すると考えられていたが、2011年に別種であることが分かった。詳細は個別の項目を参照されたい。
큰돌고래속(Tursiops) 또는 병코돌고래속은 이빨고래소목 참돌고래과에 속하는 고래 속의 일종이다.[1] 병코돌고래속은 큰돌고래(T. truncatus, 병코돌고래 또는 커먼돌고래)와 남방큰돌고래(T. aduncus, 인도태평양병코돌고래) 그리고 부르난큰돌고래(T. australis)의 3종으로 이루어져 있다.[2] 예전에 남방큰돌고래를 큰돌고래의 아종으로 분류하기도 했지만 현재는 별도의 종으로 구별하고 있다. 또 부르난큰돌고래는 다른 2종 중 하나에 속하는 것으로 간주해왔지만, 2011년에 다른 종이라는 사실이 밝혀졌다.[2] 전 세계 온대 해역에 널리 분포한다.
큰돌고래속(Tursiops) 또는 병코돌고래속은 이빨고래소목 참돌고래과에 속하는 고래 속의 일종이다. 병코돌고래속은 큰돌고래(T. truncatus, 병코돌고래 또는 커먼돌고래)와 남방큰돌고래(T. aduncus, 인도태평양병코돌고래) 그리고 부르난큰돌고래(T. australis)의 3종으로 이루어져 있다. 예전에 남방큰돌고래를 큰돌고래의 아종으로 분류하기도 했지만 현재는 별도의 종으로 구별하고 있다. 또 부르난큰돌고래는 다른 2종 중 하나에 속하는 것으로 간주해왔지만, 2011년에 다른 종이라는 사실이 밝혀졌다. 전 세계 온대 해역에 널리 분포한다.
