The most familiar of all dolphin species - bottlenose dolphins - live all over the world and travel in ever-changing social groups. These charismatic and intelligent marine mammals feature extraordinary adaptations and behaviors, allowing them to thrive in an often harsh ocean habitat. Bottlenose dolphins are often seen frolicking in the water, jumping as high as 16 feet into the air and boaters observe dolphins gracefully plunging into in their ship's bow waves, which the dolphins seem to do for pure enjoyment. Learn more about bottlenose dolphins in this month's Land, Sea, & Air.

Introduce K-3 grade students to echolocation and other dolphin adaptations with Dolphin Polo and Something's Missing. Use A Dolphin's Day and Dolphin Book to teach students about dolphin behavior and to introduce them to animal training.

Students in grades 4-8 learn how dolphins are well-equipped for diving to great depths in the Dive Like a Dolphin experiment. They can use their creative writing skills to create poems and tongue twisters in Dolphin Wordplay. The Latin Lingo activity introduces students to scientific names and a variety of dolphin species.

While most know what a bottlenose dolphin looks like, do you know what they eat or how fast they can swim? Did you know that most scientists recognize two species of bottlenose dolphin - the common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus? Explore the Bottlenose Dolphin InfoBook to learn more about these seemingly well known marine mammals.

Bottlenose dolphins are not endangered, but they do face many challenges in their environment. Hubbs-SeaWorld Research institute has been monitoring a well known dolphin population in the Indian River Lagoon in Florida since 2002. Learn more about this project, supported by the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.

United States federal laws do not permit people to feed and swim with dolphins or other marine mammals in the wild. When people try to get close to wild marine mammals, they put the animals and themselves at risk. Feeding and swimming with marine mammals in the wild is harmful to animals and sometimes dangerous to people. Feeding dolphins in the wild may make them less willing to search for food on their own. Most at risk are young dolphins that are not taught vital hunting skills. Also, if dolphins associate boats with food, it may put them in danger in areas of heavy boat traffic. Learn more at the following website:

Dolphins fly, birds dive and spirits leap in Blue Horizons® – a visionary, brand-new show from SeaWorld San Diego where sea meets sky…meets spectacular. Visit the link below to learn more!