Bottlenose dolphins in French Polynesia

The common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, is distributed throughout Polynesian archipelagoes. However, the species is more regularly observed in Rangiroa atoll than in other Polynesian islands. In French Polynesia, adults can reach up to 3.3 meters and weigh up to 450 kilos. They are easily identified by their stocky and greyish body prolongated by a thick rostrum. The line of their mouth is curved upwards and gives them a 'smiling' appearance. Nevertheless, this morphological feature does not reflect the overall species’ behavioural repertoire as these dolphins have an extremely complex social life and may display affiliative behaviours such as petting as well as agonistic behaviours - i.e. intimidation, aggression. The numerous marks, notches and scars visible on the adult males’ bodies perfectly illustrate these animals’ strength. We introduce below some dolphins of the Tiputa community...