Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Family: Delphinindae

Order: Artiodactyla

Genus: Tursiops

Species: Tursiops truncates

All Subspecies: Common bottlenose dolphin, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Burrunan dolphin.

How long has this species been in existence: About 5 million years.

Close living relative to this species: Hippopotamus.

3 ancestors of this species: Pakiectus, Mesonyx, and Ambulocetus.

Physical description of the animal (with at least 3 pictures):  They have a short, thick snout (or rostrum) and are generally grey in color. They can range from light gray to almost black on top near their dorsal fin and light gray to almost white on their belly. 

Point key characteristics of species: The bottlenose dolphin has a fusiform and robust body, extremely efficient for keeping a fast speed when swimming. Its snout is short but thick and well defined which gives it the colloquial name. Its dorsal fin, located in the center of the dorsal area, is big and curved.  

Size: 12 feet long

Weight: 300-400 pounds

Life Span: In the wild, they generally live between 30 and 50 years.

Differences between Males and Females: Males are significantly larger than females, are more likely to have tooth rake marks, and they also have a difference in slits near their tails... males have 2 slits and females have 3.