{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "bottlenose-dolphin",
  "name": "Bottlenose Dolphin",
  "scientificName": "Tursiops truncatus",
  "category": "Mammal",
  "summary": "Bottlenose dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals found in warm and temperate seas worldwide. They live in social groups called pods, use echolocation to navigate and hunt, and communicate with clicks and whistles, including signature whistles that work like names. They typically live 40 to 60 years.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Mammalia",
    "order": "Artiodactyla",
    "family": "Delphinidae",
    "genus": "Tursiops"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 300,
    "lengthM": 3,
    "topSpeedKmh": 35,
    "lifespanYears": 45
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Tursiops truncatus"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Carnivore"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Warm and temperate coastal and open seas"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "40–60 years"
    },
    {
      "label": "Length",
      "value": "2–4 m (6.6–13 ft)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Up to 35 km/h (22 mph)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Warm and temperate seas worldwide, in both coastal shallows and the open ocean.",
    "continents": [
      "Oceans"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "Wells, R. S. et al. (2019). Tursiops truncatus. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.",
      "url": null
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Tursiops truncatus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tursiops_truncatus/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World (6th ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.",
      "url": null
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/bottlenose-dolphin/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/bottlenose-dolphin/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}