Description
The common bottlenose dolphin is grey in color and may be between 2 and 4 m (6.6 and 13 ft) long, and weigh between 150 and 650 kg (330 and 1,400 lb). Males are generally larger and heavier than females. In most parts of the world the adult's length is between 2.5 and 3.5 m (8.2 and 11 ft) with weight ranges between 200 and 500 kg (440 and 1,100 lb). Newborn calves are between 0.8 and 1.4 m (2 ft 7 in and 4 ft 7 in) long and weigh between 15 and 30 kg (33 and 66 lb). The dolphins have a short and well-defined snout that looks like an old-fashioned gin bottle, which is the source for their common name. Like all whales and dolphins, though, the snout is not a functional nose, which has evolved instead into the blowhole on the top of their heads. Their necks are more flexible than other dolphins' due to five of their seven vertebrae not being fused together as is seen in other dolphin species.
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