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Loading...The bottlenose dolphin is a type of large dolphin. To date, scientists divide the bottlenose dolphin into the following types:
- Indian;
- Black Sea;
- Australian.
Tourists can meet bottlenose dolphins almost anywhere in the Black Sea. This species of dolphin chooses a sedentary lifestyle, using only a small area for permanent residence (long-distance migrations are not visible). Just 10 – 15 years ago, bottlenose dolphins very often appeared in coastal areas, but fishing, as well as serious sea pollution, led to the fact that now the dolphin chooses only the depths of the Black Sea.
Characteristic
The bottlenose dolphin has a very plastic and beautiful body. The maximum length is 2.5 meters. Weight – from 150 to 350 – 400 kg. This species has the ability to produce splashes up to 2 meters high (the dolphin can jump up to 1.5 meters above the water, which is an enchanting sight). The maximum possible speed is 50 km per hour.
Bottlenose dolphins live exclusively in flocks. They begin to breed somewhere after the first 5-6 years of life. The bottlenose dolphin gives birth to only 1 baby (it takes about a year for the fetus to develop). Baby dolphins feed on their mother’s milk for up to 18 months. Dolphins are born 60 cm long. Babies are constantly near their mother, and females in no case leave their children.
Babies and dolphins in general can function virtually without sleep. The main reason is the structure of the brain. The weight of the brain of a dolphin is 1.7 kg (in humans, somewhere 300-400 g less). This is also divided into 2 hemispheres, and 1 is always in a half-asleep state (due to this, effective sleep is ensured).
Why is the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin listed in the Red Book?
To date, the number of bottlenose dolphins in the Black Sea barely reaches 10,000 individuals. In the sea, cases of catching dolphins and their subsequent sale have escalated. The government has developed a number of effective ways to save dolphins from human activity. Fishing for bottlenose dolphins in the Black Sea was officially banned in 1986, when it became clear that the number of this type of mammal had dropped very sharply. If the authorities continued to turn a blind eye to the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin fishery, this species of dolphins would most likely disappear from the radar of the globe.