Adaptations
A streamlined body and tail flukes support efficient swimming. A fatty organ in the forehead helps focus echolocation clicks, while the lower jaw conducts returning sound toward the ear region.
Behavior and daily life
Dolphins live in flexible social networks whose membership changes over time. They coordinate travel and feeding, maintain long-term relationships, and communicate through whistles, clicks, posture, and touch.
Conservation
Current profile labelLeast Concern globally
Global status does not remove local threats. Fishing gear, prey depletion, vessel disturbance, pollution, habitat change, and harmful algal toxins can affect particular coastal populations.
Bottlenose dolphins produce focused clicks and interpret returning echoes to investigate objects and prey.
