Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are actually small-toothed whales – ranging from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico – that are commonly spotted in the Chesapeake. Social animals, they live in small pods of up to 12 whales – but often group together to form congregations of hundreds of dolphins.

Bottlenose dolphins are fast swimmers, can dive more than 1,000 feet and can jump up to 20 feet out of the water.

They have long, beaklike snouts, a sickle-shaped dorsal fin, sharp teeth and one blowhole. They can reach lengths of up to 12 feet, weigh between 300 and 400 pounds, and live to be 35 years old.

Those found in our Bay migrate or move north in the spring and south in the fall. But during the summer months, these mammals inhabit the saltier waters of the lower Chesapeake where they feed on catfish, eel, menhaden, shrimp, crab and squid. They can also be sighted in the upper Chesapeake, along the western shore near Annapolis and Baltimore. They’ve even been known to travel up the Potomac River to Washington, D.C.

See them up close at the National Aquarium in Baltimore www.aqua.org

Close-up photo of a Common Dolphin
courtesy of Scott Hill, NOAA Corps

For more information:
The Bay Game: Dolphin News