Bottle-nosed Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Length 2.8-4m

Larger and more robust than common dolphin and with uniformly dark back and flanks; underside paler but seldom seen. Short snout and steep forehead give 'bottle-nosed' appearance. Fin is tall, broad-based and strongly curved. Usually encountered in groups of five to ten, often quite close to land and in comparatively shallow water. Occasionally joins boats and will bow-ride, sometimes leaping clear of water in apparent playfulness. Regular and relatively easy to see, given sufficient observation time, off Land's End peninsula, in Cardiff Bay, around Shetland Islands and off Durlston Head, Dorset. Feeds mainly near the surface or in shallow dives but sometimes stays submerged for several minutes. Lone individuals of this species sometimes become attached to human company.