Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose DolphinIndo-Pacific Bottlenose DolphinIndo-Pacific Bottlenose DolphinIndo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops aduncus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
5–10% · Rare
overall probability at Garden Route National Park
20 Verified records at Garden Route National Park
August Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) is a species of bottlenose dolphin. This dolphin grows to 2.6 m (8.5 ft) long, and weighs up to 230 kg (510 lb). It lives in the waters around India, northern Australia, South China, the Red Sea, and the eastern coast of Africa. Its back is dark grey and its belly is lighter grey or nearly white with grey spots. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin is generally smaller than the common bottlenose dolphin, has a proportionately longer rostrum, and has spots on its belly and lower sides. It also has more teeth than the common bottlenose dolphin — 23 to 29 teeth on each side of each jaw compared to 21 to 24 for the common bottlenose dolphin. Wikipedia →

5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin sighting in Garden Route National Park, based on 20 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Garden Route National Park

Bottlenose Dolphin
LC

Bottlenose Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Tursiops truncatus

<5% · Rare
Indian Humpback Dolphin
EN

Indian Humpback Dolphin

Mammal

Sousa plumbea

<5% · Rare
Common Dolphin
LC

Common Dolphin

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Delphinus delphis

<5% · Rare
Southern Right Whale
LC

Southern Right Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Eubalaena australis

5–10% · With luck
Humpback Whale
LC

Humpback Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Megaptera novaeangliae

5–10% · Rare
Eden's Whale
LC

Eden's Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Balaenoptera edeni

<5% · Rare
Pygmy Sperm Whale
LC

Pygmy Sperm Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Kogia breviceps

Insufficient data
Dwarf Sperm Whale
LC

Dwarf Sperm Whale

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Kogia sima

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
5–10
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
5–10
Jul
5–10
Aug
5–10
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
5–10
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
10–20%
2 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
3 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
5–10%
4 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
5 Royal National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
6 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
7 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
8 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
9 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
10 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin in Garden Route National Park?

About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin sighting in Garden Route National Park, based on 20 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin in Garden Route National Park?

August has the highest sighting rate for Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin in Garden Route National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Garden Route National Park