. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1993 Baird, Walters, and Stacey: Status of the Bottlenose Dolphin 467. Figure I. Bottlenose Dolphin photographed off Clipperton Island. Note the tall falcate dorsal fin and the well defined beak. Photo by Pitman, National Marine Fisheries Service. cal lines. At least two forms of Bottlenose Dolphins do exist; a coastal form and an offshore form. These differ in morphology, blood chemistry, feeding habits and parasite loads (Walker 1981; Duffield et al. 1983; Hersh and Duffield 1990; Mead and Potter 1990). The following review derives information from both
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1993 Baird, Walters, and Stacey: Status of the Bottlenose Dolphin 467. Figure I. Bottlenose Dolphin photographed off Clipperton Island. Note the tall falcate dorsal fin and the well defined beak. Photo by Pitman, National Marine Fisheries Service. cal lines. At least two forms of Bottlenose Dolphins do exist; a coastal form and an offshore form. These differ in morphology, blood chemistry, feeding habits and parasite loads (Walker 1981; Duffield et al. 1983; Hersh and Duffield 1990; Mead and Potter 1990). The following review derives information from both currently accepted forms and previous species designations, and the reader must recognize that the wide range in many characters reflects both intra- and inter-population variability. Bottlenose Dolphins have been recorded at a max- imum length of at least m and weights up to 490 kg (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983; Mead and Potter 1990). Although some authors have reported that males are larger than females, Hersh et al. (1990) found no evidence for a difference in total body length in animals off the east coast of Florida. Body shape varies considerably between geographic loca- tions, and even within a single group. Most individu- als have a short (less than 16 cm), blunt-shaped ros- trum and a robust head and trunk region (Leatherwood et al. 1982). The snout is clearly divided from the forehead by a sharp, well-defined line or crease (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). The pectoral fins are of moderate length and taper to a point (Leatherwood et al. 1982). The tail flukes are deeply notched and have a smooth, concave rear margin (Leatherwood et al. 1982). The dorsal fin is tall and falcate, and is located at the midpoint of the body. The body is so robust in the anterior region however, that the dorsal fin often appears to be pos- terior to the midpoint (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). As with other cetaceans, the presence of con- genital and acquired markings on the dorsal fin, as
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