Tursiops aduncus
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) is a species of bottlenose dolphin. This dolphin grows to 2.6 m (8.5 ft) long, and weighs up to 230 kg (510 lb). It lives in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern coast of Africa. Its back is dark grey and its belly is lighter grey or nearly white with grey spots.
The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is generally smaller than the common bottlenose dolphin, has a proportionately longer rostrum, and has spots on its belly and lower sides. It also has more teeth than the common bottlenose dolphin — 23 to 29 teeth on each side of each jaw compared to 21 to 24 for the common bottlenose dolphin.
Much of the old scientific data in the field combine data about the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin and the common bottlenose dolphin into a single group, making it effectively useless in determining the structural differences between the two species. The IUCN lists the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin as "near threatened" in their Red List of endangered species.
Until 1998, all bottlenose dolphins were considered members of the single species T. truncatus. But in that year, the Indo... Wikipedia →
Recording0:05
Australia · 2025
© davesss · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Noosa National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Raja Ampat | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | SeaWorld Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 3 | Safari World | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 4 | Sea World | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Kagoshima City Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 7 | Kujukushima Pearl Sea Resort | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 8 | Marine Life Park | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 9 | Singapore Oceanarium | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 10 | Ocean Park Hong Kong | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 11 | わくわく海中水族館シードーナツ | 🇯🇵 Japan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 34 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, September and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, May, July–August and October, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Noosa National Park (Australia, about 20%), Ningaloo Marine Park (Australia, about 20%) and Raja Ampat (Indonesia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin is recorded against all the mammals logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (14 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.
