By Eric Shultz

Bottle Nose Dolphins are the ones we know from movies like The Dolphin Tale.

Inherited trait #1- Countershading A bottlenose dolphin's skin color is gray to dark gray on its back, fading to white on its lower jaw and belly may help conceal a dolphin from predators and prey.

Inherited trait #2- Temperature Like other mammals, dolphins maintain a constant body temperature. A dolphin's core body temperature is about the same as that of a human.

Instinctive Behavior #1- Social Bottlenose dolphins commonly swim in groups of 2 to 15 and some group members establish strong social bonds., like family or friends.

Instinctive behavior #2- Mother and calf bonds A baby dolphin is called a calf. Mother and calf bonds are long-lasting and a calf will stay with its mother three to six years.

Learned behavior #1- Riding waves Dolphins often ride on the waves made by boats. This is probably learned from riding ocean waves.

Learned behavior #2- Practice Both young and old dolphins chase one another, carry objects around, and toss seaweed to each other. This may be practice for catching food.

The Bottlenose Dolphin- The end.