Anatomy of the Cranial Endocast of the Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, Based on HRXCT
Tursiops truncatus Bottlenose dolphins
description
Transcript of Tursiops truncatus Bottlenose dolphins
By: Te’auna Patterson
* Tursiops truncatusBottlenose dolphins
*Body Type
*Short fat snout *Snout connects to slanted head*Jaw is similar to under bite*Upper Body is grey with hints of purple*White belly, and light grey sides*Upper Body turns black after death*76-98 teeth*Adults may reach 3.5 m*Two kinds of bottlenose dolphins
*Body Type
*White belly, and light grey sides*Upper Body turns black after death*76-98 teeth*Adults may reach 3.5 m*Two kinds of bottlenose dolphins
*Fins, Flippers, and Flukes
*Pectoral flippers are similar to land mammals fingers*Pectoral Flippers are contain thick cartilage in between the bone*Pectoral Flippers are slightly curved at the tip*Pectoral Flippers are used to steer*Pectoral Flippers are used with flukes to stop
*Fins, Flippers, and Flukes
*The blood flow in flippers helps to maintain homeostasis*Instead of giving off heat into the
environment they circulate it from arteries to veins*In order to cool down blood flow decrease
towards the core but increases towards the surface*Dorsal Fin is made of thick tissue without
bones like the flukes
*Fins, Flippers, and Flukes
*Some dolphins do not have a dorsal fin*Dorsal fins help to keep balance*Flukes are used to propel the animal*The size of the flukes is around 1/5 of the dolphins body
*Habitat/ Population
*Dolphins are NOT endangered*Live in water between 50 and 90 degrees
Fahrenheit*Some migrate seasonally*Everywhere but polar waters (tropical,
subtropical, and warm temperate)
*Habitat/Population
*Some live in deep water or shallower water closer to shore*There are about 67,000 Bottlenose dolphins in the United States’ Gulf of Mexico*In the Western North Pacific and along Japanese coasts there are about 35,000
*Habitat/ Population
*The size of the dolphin is based on its’ habitat*Smaller dolphins are Coastal*Larger Dolphins are Offshore*In the Western North Atlantic there are
about 11,700
*Food
*Diet depends on habitat*Coastal dolphins feed on invertebrates *Deep water Dolphins feed on squid and
pelagic fish*They consume 4-5% of their body weight
a day*Follow fisherman to catch discarded fish
or bait*They swallow their food whole
*Food
*They beach their prey to catch them easier*They use echolocation to stun prey*Use teeth to grab prey while tongue
moves it down the throat*In Australia, they put a sponge on their
nose to protect it as they forage for food on the bottom of the ocean
*Hearing
*Twice that of humans*Auditory part of brain is extremely developed*Frequency range of 1-150 kHz*Hear best between 40 and 100 kHz*Hear through their lower jaw
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/bottlenose/communication.htm
*Sight
*Can see in and out of water*See best in water*Binocular vision in air*Have binocular and monocular vision in water*Have a light reflecting portion that makes it easy to see in dim light
*Reproduction
*Female dolphins initiate courtship*May breed throughout the year*“Just before mating, a male rubs and
nuzzles a female. he may also exhibit an "S-curve" posture, in which he lifts his head up and points his tail flukes down”*Calves nurse under water*Calves nurse for a year and a half*The dolphin that helps birth the calf is the
auntie
*Fun Facts
*Dolphins hold their breath under water*Their blowhole is their way of breathing*Breathing takes about .3 seconds*Their normal breathing consists of taking
2-3 breaths per minute*Dolphins have blubber that insulates their
bodies
*Fun Facts
*Normal body temperature is 98.4'F*Spend 1/3 of their day asleep*An ongoing study says that deep sleep
occurs in one brain hemisphere at a time*Groups of dolphins are called pods*The average pod is seven animals*Pods are based on age sex and
reproduction characteristics
*Fun Facts
*On the US coast pods of mothers and newborn calves are common*Teen dolphins occur in groups with males
and females*Adult male dolphins travel alone or in
groups of 3*The deeper the water the bigger the pod*Mother-calf bonds last for a long time
*Fun Facts
*Establish dominance by fighting or smashing their tails on water*Emit bubble clouds when angry*Dolphins flirt by biting each other’s heads
and scratching teeth*Dolphins can jump 16 feet in the air
*Fun Facts
*Jumping and landing on their backs or sides is called a breach*Dolphins help each other when hurt by
bringing them to the surface to breathe*Albino Dolphins can be pink
*Works Cited
*“Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).” The Mammals of Texas. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2011. <http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/ tmot1/ turstrun.htm>.*Jenkins, Jessica, Phil Meyers, and Tanya
Dewey. “Tursiops truncatus: Bottlenosed Dolphin.” Animal Diversity Web. U of Michigan Museum of Zoology, n.d. Web. 8 July 2011. <http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ site/ accounts/ information/ Tursiops_truncatus.html>.
*Works Cited
*“Bottlenose Dolphins.” Sea World. SeaWorld/ Busch Gardens Animal Information Database, n.d. Web. 8 July 2011. <http://www.seaworld.org/ infobooks/ bottlenose/ home.html>.
*Pictures 1, 2, and 3 also came from this source