Jim’s Bottlenose Dolphin

Jim’s Bottlenose Dolphin would like to travel off the bows (front) of ships. This is one of his favorite activities. Please take him on cruise ships, and place him within the Caribbean, or any other location where he might be able to catch a ride off the bow of a ship. The ship type does not matter, but the bigger the better. He would like to travel the world’s oceans and visit the islands. If it is possible, please take a picture of the Dolphin and the areas you show him, and post it with the logs. Especially if it is in the Caribbean or pictures of his friends of the bow of a ship.

If you would like to know more about the Bottlenose Dolphin then they can grow to be at most 12 feet (3.7 m) long, sometimes weighing more than 1,400 pounds (635 kg). Most are smaller than this. Bottlenose Dolphins have streamlined bodies and a rounded head with a distinctive beak. They have a tall, falcate (sickle-shaped) dorsal fin and broad, slightly pointed flippers. Bottlenose dolphins are hunters that fish mostly at the surface of the water, eating mostly fish and squid. They have many pairs of sharp, pointed teeth distributed in both the upper and lower jaws.

Some predators of the dolphin are some sharks (including tiger sharks, dusky sharks and bull sharks) and Orcas (killer whales) will prey upon dolphins. Dolphins are also often trapped in people's fishing nets.

Bottlenose dolphins live in small pods of up to 12 whales; they are very social animals. Often, many pods group together to form congregations of hundreds of dolphins.

Dolphins can dive down to more than 1,000 feet (300 m) and can jump up to 20 feet (6 m) out of the water.

A bow rider is a dolphin that hitches a rides in the bow wave in front of a ship. The dolphin surfs using the pressure created in front of a moving ship.

Dolphins breathe air at the surface of the water through a single blowhole located near the top of the head. They need to breath about every 2 minutes, but can hold their breath for several minutes. Their blow is a single, explosive cloud.

Dolphins are very fast swimmers and can have a maximum life span of about 25 years.

Bottlenose dolphins live near the coast and inshore waters from northern Cape Hatteras to southern Florida and westward through the Gulf of Mexico. Another population lives near the continental shelf off New Jersey. Bottlenose dolphins live in different areas during the different parts of their life cycle, for example, breeding and giving birth.