Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

Size: to 12 ft

Habitat: oceanic

Notes: The largest dolphin in our waters. These occasionally stray into rivers and bays. There they are sometimes trapped in the winter, where they would die if not for the ensuing human rescue operations.

Bottlenose Dolphin
Herb Segars Photography

Hammerhead Shark

Sphyrna lewini

Size:
to 13 ft

Habitat:
coastal waters

Notes:
dangerous

Hammerhead Shark

Sharks such as the Hammerhead, that have their eyes positioned on lateral extensions of their heads belong to the family Sphyrnidae. ( Sphyrna is Greek for hammer. ) Four species occur in the region:

  • Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini - most common
  • Smooth Hammerhead, Sphyrna zygaena - most northerly
  • Great Hammerhead, Sphyrna mokarran - largest, mainly tropical
  • Bonnethead, Sphyrna tiburo - smallest