Tamanend's bottlenose dolphin

How it lives

A nearshore dolphin of bays, estuaries and coastal water. Groups often break apart and reform. NOAA notes, for bottlenose dolphins in general, that they live at least 40 years, calves nurse for about 20 months and stay with their mothers for 3 to 6 years. Nearshore dolphins tend to be smaller and lighter in colour than offshore ones. A 2022 study found differences in skull shape and DNA between the nearshore and offshore dolphins, with very little gene flow between them.

Where it goes

Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins live along the US Atlantic coast from New York to the east coast of Florida, in nearshore waters and estuaries. NOAA recognises 'migratory' coastal stocks, which suggests seasonal movement along the coast, but the sources I opened do not give routes.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

I found no count for the whole species. It was brought back as a separate species in 2022 and accepted by the Society for Marine Mammalogy in 2023. The IUCN has not evaluated it. NOAA's page on bottlenose dolphins lists five Atlantic coastal stocks as depleted under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act: Northern Florida Coastal, Central Florida Coastal, Northern Migratory Coastal, South Carolina-Georgia Coastal and Southern Migratory Coastal. It may also live in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, which needs more research. Fishing gear, boat strikes, feeding and harassment, pollution and algal toxins are listed as threats to bottlenose dolphins in general.