A Brief History of the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin

Tuna may be the chicken of the sea, but dolphins? Dolphins are the elephants of the ocean! These fascinating mammals never forget... 

From Myrtle Beach throughout Charleston and down into Hilton Head, Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins find the bountiful blue waters of our salt-marshy areas a nice home and key to their migratory pattern.  

Although they themselves are quite cognizant and self-aware, we as humans have labeled them with a name that is quite the misnomer. These sea creatures have a protruding jawline due to an impressive 104 teeth; however, they don’t breathe through their mouths. Instead, they use their blowhole and must surface to take in air. 

As newborns, they must first breach the surface in order to breathe but are unable to swim, so their mothers must push them up and within 30 minutes after birth they will become fairly adept swimmers. Dolphins can measure from 10-14 feet long (12 feet on average), weighing around 1500 pounds and have a lifespan of 20-50 years. 

On average dolphins hold their breath 5-8 minutes (the longest recorded is 15 minutes) but they typically come up for air approximately every 2 minutes. All this in and out of water motion is obviously taxing on the bottlenose’s epithelial cells as they are constantly shedding that outer layer of skin—every 2 hours! 

These highly intelligent mammals each have their own unique whistle to distinguish one from the other. Scientists even believe that they “name” each other. They have also been known to pass things down, like humans, from one generation to the next. 

Although they are social animals and friendly toward humans, they are protected under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act and swimming with these creatures in the wild is, unfortunately, prohibited by law. Dolphins are what we consider “helpers” in that they come to each other’s aide when in need: sick, injured or in danger; not only do they assist their own species but have been known to come to help other animals and even humans when in distress. 

Dolphins use an advanced method of sonar known as echolocation sending off sounds—anywhere from 300-1000 sounds a second—to “see where things are” and avoid running into each other or things ahead of them.  

Boasting the aforementioned 104 teeth, dolphins do not actually chew their food. They simply use their teeth to catch their prey, swallowing them whole. Using the hunting technique of strand feeding by encircling a school, these water creatures dine on squid, shrimp & fish. Many times, cunningly so, they can be found near fishing boats as they gobble up scraps and the catch that are attempting to swim away. 

They can be found swimming in pods of up to approximately 12 members and congregations of several hundreds of pods. Bow riders ride the waves at the front of the ship using the built-up water pressure and can reach speeds up to 35mph. This smart technique allows them to conserve energy by riding the waves. But, also, dolphins just like to have fun! Dolphins use their “flukes” (horizontal boneless paddles) along with their tails and can dive more than 1000 feet and jump up 20 feet out of the water. 

So, when you’re out taking in the beautiful views of the Atlantic anywhere around Charleston—be it Shem Creek, the Battery, Folly Beach, or even in an estuary off of the harbor—you might just spot one of these glorious gray bottlenoses breaking the surface for a breath of fresh air or taking in the sites for themselves.

~ Kristen N. Granet