The bottlenose dolphin is a large, sleek, gray-colored dolphin. Compared to most other dolphins, it has a stubby beak, long flippers, and a moderately tall dorsal fin. There is a crease between their forehead and beak. Their coloration is gray with countershading (darker gray on their back, with lighter gray to white on their underside).
Male bottlenose dolphins grow to a size of 8 to 12 ½ feet and 1100 pounds. The slightly smaller females grow to 7 ½ to 12 feet in length and 570 pounds. Newborn calves are 3 to 4 ½ feet in length and weigh between 31-44 pounds.
