Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus )

Tursiops is a genus of dolphins ( Delphinidae ). At the genus include a total of three, very similar species - the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ), the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus ) and first described in 2011 Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis).

Dissemination

The bottlenose dolphin lives in the tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of all oceans and is also found in the North Sea and the Mediterranean. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, however, is to be found especially in the Indo-Pacific, tropical coastal waters over the continental shelf. He comes from the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa over the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific. The Burrunan dolphin has a very small distribution area on the coast and in lagoons in the Australian state of Victoria.

Features

Tursiops species are a maximum of 2.6 to 4.10 meters long, females remain slightly smaller in general. They are largely colored monochrome gray to blue-gray. The belly is lighter in general. The beak ( snout ) is shorter than in the Delphinus and Stenella species in relation to the length of the head. The melon is well developed and sold by a fold of the snout. The fin is tall and falcate.

System

The bottlenose dolphin has long been regarded as the sole species of the genus Tursiops. Only in the last ten years of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin described as early as 1833 is recognized as a distinct species. In 2011, finally came the Burrunan dolphin added as a third species of the genus. However, the studied sections of its mitochondrial genome differ by 5.5 and 9.1 per cent from that of the other two Tursiops species, which is more than other dolphin species that are placed in the same genus. Sister species of dolphin Burrunan to be the East Pacific dolphin ( Stenella longirostris ). The authors of the first description to assume that the species is provided in a future revision of the dolphin family in its own genus and beat already Tursiodelphis as a generic name before.