The bottlenose dolphin is the most common of the oceanic dolphins and can be found in all tropical and temperate oceans. Flipper was a bottlenose dolphin.

Their considerable intelligence and permanently-affixed smile make them a favorite of aquarium and television shows. The U.S. Navy also uses bottlenose dolphins to find mines and booby traps underwater.

Oregon is the northern extent of its range on the West Coast. They are most often seen offshore during the summer by tuna and other fishers. They are gray with light gray to white on the undersides. In size they range from six to 13 feet in length and can weigh up to 650 pounds.

Bottlenose dolphins typically live in pods of 10 to 30 individuals, but group size varies from single individuals up to more than 1,000. They mainly eat forage fish and often work as a team to harvest fish schools.

Photo by Selbe Lynn, Flickr