Tursiops truncatus
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The common bottlenose dolphin or Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is one of three species of bottlenose dolphin in the genus Tursiops. While formerly known simply as the bottlenose dolphin, this term is now applied to the genus Tursiops as a whole. As considerable genetic variation has been described within this species, even between neighboring populations, many experts think additional species may be recognized and split out.
The common bottlenose dolphin is a very familiar dolphin due to the wide exposure it receives in captivity in marine parks and dolphinariums, and in movies and television programs. Common bottlenose dolphins inhabit temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world, absent only from polar waters.
Common bottlenose dolphins have a grey coloration, a short beak, a single blowhole, and a hooked dorsal fin. The bottlenose is between 2 and 4 m (6.6 and 13.1 ft) long, and weighs between 150 and 650 kg (330 and 1,430 lb). Males are generally larger and heavier than females. In most parts of the world, adult length is between 2.5 and 3.5 m (8.2 and 11.5 ft); weight ranges between 200 and 500 kg (440 and 1,100 lb). Like the other bottlenose... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 5 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 10 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 12 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 13 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 14 | Marino Ballena National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 16 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 17 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Bottlenose Dolphin sighting in Fiordland National Park on a given day, based on 142 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 12 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May, July and October
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Bottlenose Dolphin in Fiordland National Park on a given day, against about 30% in November, the lowest month.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bottlenose Dolphin sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Bottlenose Dolphin sightings, Fiordland National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, about 40%) and Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bottlenose Dolphin is recorded against all the mammals logged in Fiordland National Park (142 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
