Common name: Bottlenose Dolphin.

Scientific name: Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821)

Family: Delphinidae

Distribution and Habitat: Presence in the region: extremely common. Its presence is common by the coast and in oceanic areas, mainly near the islands. It occurs in temperate and tropical waters.

Description: Its head has a frontal rounded melon with a deep groove separating the beak from the forehead. The beak is very short and thick and the inferior jaw is prominent compared to the upper jaw. There is a distinct uniform dark grey pattern in the dorsal region. The ventral region is lighter, with white and pink shades. The body is extremely robust and may reach 3 m in length and weigh 350 Kg.

Conservation statute and Threats: Insufficient information.

Observations: Common species throughout the archipelagos waters, even close to the coast. This species uses the Madeira waters from March to October.