Take a deep breath, gang, and join Nat Geo Kids as we learn ten fab facts about one seriously splash-tastic sea creature – in our bottlenose dolphin facts!

Facts about bottlenose dolphins

Bottlenose Dolphin Facts

1) Bottlenose dolphins are marine mammals that live in tropical and temperate oceans (oceans with mild temperatures) around the world. This includes the waters off the UK and Ireland, where you can spot them swimming and playing in bays and river estuaries!

2) These beautiful creatures have a short thick beak (as their name suggests!) and a curved mouth, giving the appearance that they are always smiling. They are usually grey in colour, and measure around two to four metres in length.

If you love this article, you'll love our Ocean Activity and Colouring Book is written on the post, which shows a book called Ocean Activity and Colouring Book, as well as a blue jellyfish

3) Social creatures, bottlenose dolphins travel in groups, called “pods“, of around 10-15. In these groups they play and hunt together, as well as cooperate to raise young dolphin calves and help each other.

4) Bottlenose dolphins are super swimmers, gliding through the water using their curved dorsal fin on their back, a powerful tail and pointed flippers. They can reach speeds over 30km an hour and dive as deep as 250m below the surface!

Bottlenose Dolphin Facts

5) These cool creatures are awesome acrobats, too, and can be seen flipping (or “breaching“) out of the water. In fact, they can launch themselves up to five meters out of the water before crashing back down with a splash! There are different theories as to why they do this – it could be to get a better view of things in the distance, clean parasites off their bodies, communicate with other pods or just for good fun!

6) Although they live underwater, the bottlenose dolphin must come up to the surface to breath air. It breathes through what”s called a “blowhole“, a hole at the top of its head. These clever creatures can open this hole when inhaling and exhaling out of the water, and close it when below the ocean surface. They can hold their breath underwater for around seven minutes.

You'll love our educational magazines for all ages! is written on the post, which shows a book called Oceans Find It! Explore it! which has a clownfish on the front

7) Bottlenose dolphins are kings of communication! They send each other messages in different ways – they squeak and whistle and also use body language, leaping out of the water, snapping their jaws and even butting heads!

8) These magnificent mammals also produce high-pitched clicks to help them navigate and find food – a process called “echolocation“. When the clicking sounds hit an object in the water – such as a rock or fish – they bounce back to the dolphin as echoes. From this, the super swimmers can work out the location, size and shape of the object. Cool, eh?

Bottlenose Dolphin Facts

9) Carnivores, our finned friends eat mostly fish, but will also eat crustaceans such as shrimp and squid, too.

10) Thankfully, bottlenose dolphins are not classed as endangered. However, illegal hunting, fishing nets and pollution pose threats to these incredible creatures.

Love reading about sea life? Then be sure to check out our Humpback whale facts!

Image ⓒ Picture of dolphin stretched out above water: Photograph by Kjersti Joergensen, Dreamtime. Picture of a dolphin closeup in water: Photograph by Michael Price, Dreamtime. Picture of a dolphin jumping: Photograph by Avslt71, Dreamtime.
Likes

LEAVE A COMMENT

THANK YOU

Your comment will be checked and approved shortly.

WELL DONE,
YOUR COMMENT
HAS BEEN ADDED!

COMMENTS

  • 1062863

    wow so cool

  • Lucas

    I love this it helped me alot with my research on endangered animals!

  • Hi

  • cool

  • Maddison

  • wriley

  • Cruella DeVil

    I love bottlenose dolphins now that I know about them! Thank you!

  • I LOVE dolphins I did a speech on them once.

  • giraffe

  • corban

    awesome

  • cool

  • ann27265

    COOL

  • starfire

    totes cool!!!!

  • Nancy.Allen

    SO FUN TO READ

  • coper

  • SO FUN

  • Kyle Thompson

    I like the dolphin’s name .

  • jude

  • jeff

    amazing

  • Emily

    i love all species of dolphins and i guess you can call me an expert cool from emily

  • tanisi.gohil

    cool ya!

  • Hello cool people

  • Ewaoluwa

  • nice

  • I live near a bottle nose Dolphin

  • Zara

  • cute

  • London Johnson

    Dolphins are great petshttps://www.natgeokids.com/wp-content/themes/natgeokids/images/badges/2.png

  • makayla

    love them sooo much

  • makayla

    love them

  • I love dolphins so much now

  • jane

    i like this websight

  • Dav

    This is my fact about dolphins

  • i love animals espeshaly dolphins

  • Noah Wright

    dolphins rule! They are really COOL!

  • eevee88234

    COOL

  • Tilds

    Amazing

  • Cool

  • Wow

  • Dolphin123

    Dolphins are my favourite animal these facts were really interesting.

  • AJ 14

    WOW!!!! Awesome dolphins . I really LOVE reading about the dolphins . # I LOVE DOLPHINS!!!!

  • Angelina.

    dolphins mum and dad baby is 1.

  • i love dolphins at one point they were my favourite creature please TAKE ACTION

  • Erica

    I love dolphins so much.

  • jamila

    i learnt so much about bottlenose dolphins it was fun doing a report on them

  • Aashvi

    my favorite animal is a dolphin

  • Aida Hudson

    Amazing facts great for school projects

  • Pol

    I love dolphins i did a report on them.

  • lollipop

    dolphins are awesome

  • zoe

    ilove dolphins

  • Kiera

    OMG Dolphins are my favourite animals... Please guys I've got a dolphin Idol called winter who lives in florida.. See her on webcams at Seewinter.com. Did you know Dolphins only partly sleep so they can get to the surface for air?

  • isabella

    loving it

  • Bella

    i love it

  • i love them

  • Abdullah

    I think a dolphin should be a man's best friend instead of a dog.

  • indi

    Dolpins are cute

  • Ella

    Excellent facts and helped me with my homework!

  • ashton

    wow

  • declan

    it is amazig

  • Alicia

    So interesting

  • SL

    It's amazing that they can dive 250m!

  • ML

    It is so amazing how the Bottlenose dolphins are super swimmers and they can reach speed over 30 km an hour.

  • Ha76

    I love dolphins because they are very friendly

  • jess

    brilliant

  • tavia

    awesome facts

  • Freyja

    your website is amazing and your facts are fantastic

  • Gracie

    I love it

  • Dolphin

    Wow

  • Angie

    Great

  • Ashleigh

    I <3 dolphin! SO CUTE and they live in AUSTRALIA! (where i live)

  • Maya

    Great info

  • imakawaiiperson

    i love bottle nose dolphins they are so kawaii

  • lili

    I love nat geo kids

  • laceybrian123

    so amazing yous!!! how did you figger out all that

  • felix

    wow

  • Cool

  • This helped a lot for my research

  • i likez dolphinz

    I likez dolphinz theyz coolz

  • poopoo

    hi

  • Sarah

    lol

  • I love bottlenose dolphins!

  • kayleeeee

    i like dinosores he he

  • hi

    hi

  • yee

    looooooooooooooooool

  • Jaeyoon

    sup:)

  • your the best and hi

  • hi

  • T

    Love dolphins

  • Starieu73

    Dolphins are fun, and I had notes from this. Very Cool. GG

  • lillian

    lol

  • Starrie73

    XD this is what my teacher said LOL

  • Ee

    Love it

  • Waffy

    LOL !!!!

  • Wow

  • Jade

    Dolphin

  • Wow I never new that

  • Kara Nelson

    OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE IT BOTTLE NOSE DOLPHINS ARE SO COOL # I LOVE THEM !!!! /LOL(:

  • pam

    i love this web

  • arielle

    CUTE

  • #SMASHER!

    GREAT WEBSITE!!

  • Libbie Harding

    Hannah very very funny

  • Jenayia

    I luv dolphins

  • Rich

    I love wild animals!

  • owen

    dolphins are cool

  • martina

    the dolphins are so cute!!!! and veryyyyy beautiful!!!

  • María Paz

    This is cool. This information is very interesting. I like dolphins, they are good animals and this information is very complete. Thanks!

  • Maqui:)

    I love dolphins!!! I think that they are awesome! Thank you for this info,it is very interesting. I swam with dolphins and it was a unique experience! Part number 5 was very interesting:) Thanks

  • tobias

    This is awesome. The dolphins are greate animals . Ilove it

  • lola

    I love investigations with dolphins my dream is swimming with dolphins I love them

  • ema

    i love dolphins amazing facts the dolphins are beautiful

  • majo

    the dolphins are beautiful inteligent cool and very funny

  • Candy

    i love dolphins

  • martina

    awesome facts about the dolphins.the dolphines are so cute and very beautiful!!!

  • malenuskis

    I love dolphins.They are cute

  • Catalina

    That was womderful, I like very much dolphins and I think they are very sweet and beautiful

  • michelle

    they are awsome

  • they are cute

  • Grace merriman

    Dolphins are so cute. Good facts about dolphins.

  • EmiKat428

    I love this website it has all the pros but I would really like a video to give me more info... Thank you for all the facts but that video would hook me on to the site. Im going to go read more, bye!

  • Emma

    I love dolphins

  • Cassey

    Thank You National Geographic for helping me on my project!Thank You a million!!!!

  • Matthewed

    I luv dolphinz

  • kiren

    cool ilove dolphins

  • Rach

    Wow it is brilliant

  • Devonh37

    Dolphins are amazing

  • Juanita

    This helped me on my report.Some things that were here I didnt know at all

  • GEORGE9999

    so cute

  • Emily

    Thanks! this had really good facts about Bottlenose dolphins

  • Crystalgirl

    I love dolphins

  • nstnelus

    i love national geographic

  • Matillda

    soooo cute

  • arica

    i love bottle nose dolphins!!!! these are great facts about bottle nose dolphins.

  • i love dophins

    i love love love love dolphins

  • Macmenzie

    Awesome!

  • breyannacmiller

    i love bottlenose dolphins

  • Ayana

    AWESOME

  • DolphinLove

    Dazzling dolphins!

  • spicer

    im using this for a projet thx !

  • 1034

    I think they are awesome

  • Meloetta

    fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • matat2020

    wow i didnt know that

  • Pop star

    Lol

  • Meiscool

    Awesome!

  • meg

    awsome!!!

  • Kaelyn

    So cool!

  • paytonhu

    good

  • danasha

    COOOOOOOOOOL

  • cop

    like it

  • fdsdf

    This helped me to do a project that I had only 5 days left to do. Thanks sssssssssoooooooooooooo much

  • fdsdf

    sfsdf

  • hggh

    Cool! Im using this info for a project and I got an A*!!!! So good!!!!!!!!

  • guyd00000

    nice...................

  • reecek27

    what do they eat

  • gracie williams

    awesome facts about dolphins

  • manuthi

    CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • manuthi

    DOLPHINS ARE SO ADORABLE!!!

  • nic45

    useful

  • lol01

    :-)

  • cupcake22

    cool !!!!!!!!!!!

  • trhyy6

    hi

  • animalia

    can you make ten facts about spinner dolphins

  • glam

    cool i found this useful

  • rosamunda

    cool I love dolthins

  • rosamunda

    cool I love dolthins

  • Mollie

    Dolphins are so cute and very smart.

  • Mollie

    Dolphins can get rotbot tills

  • Khloe

    Bottle nose dolphins are really smart

  • Khloe

    Dolphins are so cute but here is another thing you need to know we cannot pollute their areas because they can die and become instinct

  • turtle67

    wow wish geckos could have the most vots

  • Emmalot

    I love dolphins

  • Candy

    Cool and awesome

  • moni

    stupid dont give enough information

  • micaela

    cool

  • B

    cool!

  • gurlygirl121

    i like turtles o-o

  • Supersquid59

    You Will Now Experience Some Seriously Bad Dajavu MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I Have Met You Before! TROLOL!

  • Supersquid59

    MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

  • Supersquid59

    Bottlenose Dolphins are my favorite animals that live in the sea!

  • lalalallallalalaalalalalalalala

    cool

  • lilyxx

    its interesting

  • KILLER4545

    dolphins are cool

  • 21ellenb

    good

  • Juan

    Dear Techie Kids,The video you posted is fatnsatic for hearing all the different clicks and whistles that dolphins make! It is pretty amazing that they can tell where fish are, and where they are going, just by listening to the echo that bounces off them.One interesting fact about dolphins is they sleep by resting just one half of their brain at a time, with one eye open. This way they can see if predators are coming and they can also rise to the surface to breathe while they are asleep!I lived in the tropical country of Belize for about a year so I got to see some dolphins, but lots of bats! Belize has lots of rainforest covered hills with limestone caves in them, and I explored some of the caves. There were always bats hanging from the ceiling that I could look at close up with my headlamp. Some of them would be flying around in the cave in total darkness, and they would zoom right in front of me. All of a sudden I would see them flash through the light from my headlamp, just inches from my face. It was very cool!Thanks for another excellent post!Your blogging buddy,Mr. Salsich

  • alyssa123

    it helped alote

  • zlsmcxk

    so grat

  • mmmmm

    lol

  • lolloo

    this is cool aswome

  • Kendall

    science project this site helped

  • lalalaillza

    LOL to bottlenose dolphin

  • shaylah

    I love pink dolphins

  • lacie

    love websit

  • z-man

    Dolphins are cool

  • Talacia

    I love the ocean

  • Idin

    I like sharks

  • matan

    I love Dolphins.

  • Guru

    I adore these Dolphins so much so lovely

  • isabel

    i love whales

  • stajia

    amazing

  • Capitano15

    Nice <33

  • cooljaguars

    LOVE IT

  • midnight

    amazing facts and pictures I wish you had videos

  • Dolphin_ girl

    Cool

  • Hope

    I love Dolphins

  • Annora

    Good for children to learn

  • salome

    loved it

  • Lolly

    Dolphins,are pretty cute

  • Stella

    I love dolphins!

  • Nandukrishna

    Never heard of them before but they seem very cool and unique !!

  • loub

    cool! i love dolphins x

  • dragonraidor

    thanks

  • alicha1111

    I cant find where they are from can you tell me where dolphins come from please thank you

  • Summer@gill

    Thank you for the facts

  • EzraNelson1

    Dolphins are amazing

  • 13andstillcazyaboutanimals3

    SMACKADOO!! I just dropped my toasty warm waffles thinking about these dolphins, crikey these are some mind boggling facts arent they!!!

  • Janice

    Please have an article with more facts. Although this was a little helpful.

  • girrafe123

    Thank you so much! in school we have a thing were you pair up with someone in your class and you get to be teacher for an hour! I am doing it with my my friend coz we both love dolphins

  • KW

    Dolphins can really rule anything anytime. So long all other underwater Creatures!!! Please people talk more about Dolphins. And dolphins, be more awesome!!!

  • dejaykhilla

    really nice

  • KW

    Be awesome some more Dolphins!

  • KW

    Dolphins rule the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • KW

    so awesome. Love it!!!

  • aleks63cool

    cool

  • lottiecool

    love it

  • Lc3796

    these r adorable

  • addison123

    nice!

  • Gabia

    Wow!

  • lorraine

    i love dolphins becaus than look plttey

  • lorraine

    i love some dolphins and we help than live forever

  • Rithkashen

    We need help for a project and we need to find out how the bottlenose dolphin develops can you please help us

  • EmiliaDass

    I think dolphins are great because of what I have learned! I am writing about dolphins in school and this really helped me!

  • sophia000

    I have to do a project on them.they are very cool.how do you like them

  • dango

    i wish dolphins were not getting cought in the fishamans nets

  • Kk4

    Love it so much want more

  • Louran

    I love dolphins there so cute

  • Nicolette

    How did u manage to take those photos?

  • jellyman

    cool

  • madison

    this really helped me on my research paper for fifth grade. i got a perfect A+!

  • little-lexie

    This was good information thank you to the people who made this

  • Isha

    WOW amazing .....................

  • animallover901

    Thanks for all the info. Really helped me on my project!!!!!!

  • Sania

    Love these facts!! Very informative

  • jasmine

    cool facts about dolphins

  • MexicoGirl41

    Thank you so much for all of this wonderful information! It has helped me so much on my current reseach report for 8th grade!

  • Aboodle

    i love this website.

  • Aboodle

    i love this website because it helps me on my reasearch.

  • cupcake

    I loved the facts thanks

  • henna

    Helped me so much with my report on animals

  • Georgia awesome

    I love dolphins there the best. Thanks for the facts.

  • MexicoGirl41

    Thank you so much for this information, Go Bottlenose Dolphins! lol :)

  • marlene

    thanks for these facts !!!

  • Naryani

    Dolphins are one of my favourite animals.They are wonderfull and should be free

  • Isla

    Ive always wanted to learn about dolphins!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • pugsgotswag13

    dolphins are awesome and i want one as a companion for life!!!!!!!!!!!can someone get me one please STAT!

  • dogsarecute0067

    I love dolphins they are so cute!

  • Goldfish1

    Dolphins are my favourite animals

  • twigs

    thanks for the info!

  • Jlover

    Thanks!

  • Emin

    Very Interesting

  • Chopper101

    I LOVE DOLPHINS! THIS WEBSITE GAVE ME SOME GREAT FACTS FOR A PROJECT IN SCHOOL! ð

  • Dolphin_lover1

    I love dolphin and this was really good information

  • grace62

    cool!

  • emalie

    Thats amazing!

  • algeria123

    I love DOLPHINS they are the best

  • Amrit

    Cool. So thats where they get there name from.

  • maddie

    I love this website I wish there were more websites like this one

  • hawah

    i like the facts even i like dolphins

  • Katie4

    Dolphins are my favourite wild animals! I love baby bottle nose dolphins!

  • Puppy

    Dolphins are awesome My BFF loves them so much, No I do too! LOL! Beautiful, Playful animals Thank you so much :-)

  • Eva

    These creatures are amazing!!!

  • John

    Dolphin are super cute and very adorable beings I wish I could swim with them. They could be my pets. THEY ARE SO CUTE ! ! ! !

  • turtleshell1000

    mammals hey!!!!!

  • Roman

    I love dolphins! They are so cute!

  • Monster

    That was amazing thank you AND I love dolphins

  • gemma

    dolphins are my favourite animal and these facts are great! : )

  • Maisie

    I love dolphins so much! They are sooo cute!

  • Shanzie

    Cool sure I will check out your humpback whale song and facts !

ADVERTISEMENT
ANZ subs takeover March 2020 MPU

More Like Sea Life

Sea Life

Humpback Whale Facts!

Get the lowdown on these marine marvels…
Sea Life

Killer whale facts!

We get the lowdown on these magnificent marine mammals…
Sea Life

How YOU can help save our marine wildlife!

Will YOU help protect our endangered marine wildlife?
Sea Life

Jellyfish Facts!

Join us as we travel the oceans far and wide with these electric jellyfish facts!