Tursiops truncatus also known as the bottlenose dolphin is the most studied and well-known species among marine mammals. They belong to the Delphinidae family, the Odontoceti suborder and the Cetacea order. The bottlenose dolphin has many impressive attributes that make it one of the world's most intelligent and charismatic mammals in marine life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout their global range, bottlenose dolphins are regularly found in the shallow coastal ecosystems of their global range with limited water temperatures of 10-32 degrees Celsius. In particular, in the Pacific Ocean, bottlenose dolphins are found from northern Japan to Australia and from southern California to Chile. They are also present in the Hawaiian Islands off the eastern tropical part of the Pacific. The bottlenose dolphin is also found in the Atlantic Ocean region, from Nova Scotia to Patagonia and from Norway to the tip of South America. The most common species of dolphins are found along the coast of the United States up to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. The bottlenose dolphin in the Black Sea has been identified by its subspecies T. tronca ponticus. Within the two coasts of the Pacific and Atlantic there are two different types of bottlenose dolphins based on their distribution. Morphotypes and ecotypes are determined by its offshore form and coastal form. For example, dolphins found in the northeast Pacific typically differ genetically and physically. The size of their teeth and skull, dietary patterns and body composition differ from the rest. Therefore, these dolphins are said to be coastal and offshore ecotypes. However, dolphins from the western North Atlantic have demonstrated both ecotypes. Color differentiation, morphology and group size between offshore and coastal ecotypes are comparable to the pattern observed in the Pacific, but when it comes to size variation they were reversed. Most coastal dolphins are smaller than open-sea mammals. Like other marine life animals, the bottlenose dolphin migrates for various reasons such as water temperature, feeding habits, seasonal migration. Some coastal dolphins at higher latitudes have been found to adapt to seasonal migration, moving south to warmer climates in winter, unlike other large dolphins found in warmer waters. The distribution of coastal bottlenose dolphins is typically non-uniform and depends on the type of habitat. and the accessibility of food resources. However, bottlenose dolphins found in the Gulf of Mexico are at risk of habitat degradation due to oil and gas exploration and extraction. Provided that approximately 21% of natural gas and 30% of oil produced in the United States comes from the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, the potential risk related to oil and gas is extremely high. Oil spills are extremely harmful to marine life. The aquatic food web is governed by low trophic levels, which play an important role in suggesting that potential bottom-up impacts in the ecosystem are influential. Bottlenose dolphins are generally believed to be avid feeders. They are very versatile in preying on different species, depending on the availability of resources. In particular, when looking for food, dolphins seek out the most abundant habitats. Their diet consists of fish, shrimp, squid, small sharks and other vertebrates. In particular, coastal dolphins consume fish and vertebrates that live on the bottom, while theOffshore dolphins' food preference are fish and squid. Group sizes and foraging methods vary during feeding events. One way dolphins forage for food is through large groups, in open water, a group of dolphins will often surround a pile of fish and gather in a small, compact pool. The dolphins then take turns charging to feed. Closer to the ocean, coastal dolphins roll on their side with one pectoral fin pointing upwards, trapping fish in the mud bank and opening their mouths slightly to capture prey. Another technique used is called “whacking” in which the dolphin hits the fish with its tail, throwing it into the air and grabbing it to feed. Since dolphins are unable to chew their food, the chewing of their meal is done in the forestomach. So their digestive system consists of three parts; forestomach, main stomach and pyloric stomach. The forestomach serves as a storage unit, it is responsible for keeping the consumed food in place until complete digestion. As the main stomach functions as a “cell powerhouse,” enzymes and hydrochloric acid are released to complete the digestive process. Finally, the pyloric stomach holds all digested food until it is transferred to the small intestine for absorption and cellular metabolism. There are small openings between the three-chambered stomachs that make it difficult for foreign objects to pass through when consumed. If the material cannot be absorbed for nutrients, it travels to the large intestine and out of the rectum. Furthermore, just like any other living mammal, oxygen is an important source for cell function and survival. Unlike fish, dolphins often have to surface to breathe, but when submerged in water they hold their breath. Bottlenose dolphins breathe through a blowhole. The blowhole is essentially the nostril of a dolphin and whale and is located at the top of the head. It is protected by a muscular flap which guarantees a watertight seal. They have two nasal cavities which increase the efficiency of gas exchange, and more importantly, this allows the lungs more surface area to acquire rapid gas exchange. Dolphin pleurae are dense and flexible, their respiratory organs are made of myoelastic fibers for greater elasticity. Tiny bronchioles are present along with sphincters that ultimately carry the alveoli from the rest of the lung. For the purposes of thermoregulation, a marine mammal such as dolphins must maintain a constant body temperature. To retain and/or lose heat, dolphins have several strategies for doing so. First, the decrease in their surface area helps conserve heat. Another way is to increase insulation since dolphins have no fur and their body fat is made up of blubber. Fat differs from fat in that it contains not only fat cells but also a fibrous network of connective tissues. In fact, the bottlenose dolphin has a higher metabolic rate, meaning it is able to sustain its body temperature while in colder water temperatures. Therefore, the arteries of the fins, flukes and dorsal fin are enclosed by veins. As a result, the energy of the blood passing through the veins is transmitted to the venous blood rather than to the environment. For countertrade purposes, dolphins are supported by maintaining their body temperature. The cetacean excretory system is one of many complex component units of the bottlenose dolphin. Although bottlenose dolphins are known to be aquatic mammals, they have actually acquired abilities that allow them to transition from terrestrial to aquatic environments. For this reason, theBottlenose dolphins require a way to adapt to an environment with increased salinity. Because they have no specialized glands to excrete salt, a dolphin's kidneys contain lobules divided into numerous reniculi. Reniculi help filter excess salt in daily food consumption. As for the salt that can be absorbed during digestion, it flows into the bladder and then comes out in the form of urine or feces. Since dolphins lose water in their feces due to their hyperosmotic environment, this leads to a higher concentration of salt in their urine (Cozzi 2016). The dolphin skeleton is closely adapted to its marine characteristics.lifestyle. Whereas dolphins do not require strong limbs for support, their bones tend to be weaker due to buoyancy in the water. Their spine is flexible and allows locomotion in various directions. The pectoral fins are flattened and used for steering. On the other hand, the dorsal fin and tail are composed of fibrous and fatty material, which gives them balance and momentum, respectively. Because they swim constantly, flukes' tails are extremely powerful and support their weight. That is to say, the composition of the ribs and spine is quite flexible to allow the ribs to disintegrate during the dive. The skull of the bottlenose dolphin is considered "telescopic". The term telescoping refers to the posterior displacement of the upper and lower jaws. It can be done by compressing the front and back of the skull leaving all parts overlapping. For this reason the skull is inclined upwards in line with the axial skeleton. A dolphin's brain is relatively larger than its body mass, plus its lungs are compacted by a short, wide trachea. Its trachea is supported by rings of cartilage and bronchioles. In contrast, like humans, bottlenose dolphins have well-developed sensory organs and rely on their senses to survive. Dolphins have excellent vision in and out of the water. Dolphins are said to have the ability to see objects from at least 12 to 18 feet in the air and about 9 feet underwater. They have extensively developed the tapetum lacidum, a light-reflecting layer that emits light across the retina allowing enhanced vision through photoreceptors (Schwab et al. 2002). A dolphin's retina is made up of rods and cones, which allow them to have clear vision in dim and bright light. Rods are photoreceptors that can adjust to low light conditions, while cones are responsible for vision in brighter light. Dolphins are known to be primarily monocular, however they possess the ability to be binocular (Dawson 1980). Behavioral research suggests that bottlenose dolphins can detect taste. The skin of the bottlenose dolphin is sensitive to tactile vibrations. Areas, particularly around the orbital sac, blowhole, genital area, and more, have sensory nerves. Echolocation is used by many marine animals, one of the reasons dolphins use this technique is for navigation. Additionally, dolphins use echolocation for foraging, vision, and communication. Considering the amount of research on their hearing range, it emerges that dolphins have a keen sense of hearing. In general, their hearing has been measured to vary between 150 and 160 Hz. Compared to humans, their auditory perceptions are extremely advanced. In fact, they can hear higher-pitched sounds coming from a variety of scales. But even though the bottlenose dolphin has such complex components that create a well-developed sensory system, it does not have the ability to smell. This is absent due to the fact that their brain lacks olfactory bulbs and/or a.