The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) gets its common name from the elongated upper and lower jaws that form what is called a rostrum, or snout. The specific name, truncatus, means "shortened or cut-off", referencing its stubby rostrum – so its name means "a dolphin like animal with a shortened snout". Bottlenose dolphins are probably the best-known species of dolphin – the species upon which everyone’s classical image of ‘a dolphin’ is based. There are two recognised species of bottlenose dolphin, and in some cases, both species can be found in the same area. These are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). Common bottlenose dolphins occur in all almost all tropical and temperate regions, and can be found in both coastal and offshore waters.
