Scientists theorize that differing ecological characteristics throughout their range have led to differences between bottlenose dolphin populations. Habitat use is influenced by environmental heterogeneity meaning these animals distribute through an ecosystem depending on factors like resources, depth, water temperature, sea-bed gradient and type of sediment. Known range of bottlenose dolphins are indicated in dark blue.īottlenose dolphins inhabit warm temperate waters, adapting to several marine and estuarine habitats, including, occasionally, rivers. Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins are found in the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Australia to South Africa, the Red Sea, and in the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Pacific. They are the most abundant dolphin species along the United States' coast from Cape Cod through the Gulf of Mexico.īottlenose dolphins are also found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

In the Atlantic Ocean, bottlenose dolphins are found from Nova Scotia to Patagonia and from Norway to the tip of South Africa. Off the California coast bottlenose dolphins have been observed as far north as Monterey, particularly during years of unusual warmth. They are also found offshore in the eastern tropical Pacific as far west as the Hawaiian Islands. In the Pacific Ocean, bottlenose dolphins are found from northern Japan to Australia and from Southern California to Chile. Distribution is generally limited to surface water temperatures of 10° to 32☌ (50° to 90° F). Bottlenose dolphins live in temperate and tropical waters worldwide.

Common bottlenose dolphin