Based on visual examination, catfish species were identified as hardhead catfish in MSS, PCB and SJB; both hardhead and gafftopsail catfishes were identified in SAR. They also eat shrimps, squid, mollusks, and cuttlefish, and only swallow the soft parts. Bottlenose dolphins sometimes attack these predators by striking their bodies with the caudal fins (tails). Yes In addition to the available prey, specialized foraging tactics may be influenced by habitat, individual preferences, genetic predisposition or cultural transmission, thus, understanding foraging specializations may provide insight into the ecology of the animals observed [2, 3, 5, 7–13]. Investigation, Bottlenose dolphin feeding morphology has evolved towards a ram-feeding mode without significant oral processing of prey; however, these observations of SCH suggest dolphins in the nGoMx have developed a prey handling technique to reduce potential complications from the venomous and sharp spines of marine catfish. Dolphins exhibited behavior characterized by rapid surfacing or lunging out of the water with repeated localized dives in water depths approximately 1–5 m in MSS, SJB, and SAR and in PCB water depth was recorded as approximately 17 m, as measured by vessel depth sounders. These observations prompted a multi-disciplinary approach to study the predator-prey relationship between bottlenose dolphins and marine catfish. Eleven whole catfish collected in the May 2015 Breton Sound trawl were examined and the morphometries were used to determine an estimated TL for the SCH (S1 Table). Bottlenose dolphins have great flexibility because they have fewer fused vertebrae in their necks than other dolphins. Two additional dolphins matched between MSS and PCB, two more matched between MSS and SJB, and another single matched between PCB and SJB. The Bottlenose Dolphin occupies a wide range of habitats, giving it access to a huge variety of organisms including invertebrates, bottom-dwelling fish and squid, plus the full range of pelagic (oceanic) fish species.

But this puts dolphins a… In SAR, dolphins were observed herding large catfish schools then targeting individual fish (Fig 3). Intimately linked to pollution. Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Methodology, No, Is the Subject Area "Stomach" applicable to this article? Dolphins will prey on whatever species of fish is present, using a variety of hunting strategies. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181179.s001. Some were sighted in a single season or year, while others were sighted seasonally (e.g., spring-summer or summer), or consistently every month over several years. Investigation, Color: The bottlenose dolphin is generally a dark gray on the upper part of its body, fading into a lighter gray on both sides of its body. The boto is also known to tear and behead larger fish before ingestion including redtail catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus)[50]. Mississippi Sound (n = 4, 2004–2015), Pensacola Bay coast (n = 1, 2014), St. Joseph Bay (n = 1, 2005), Sarasota Bay and west Florida coast (n = 7, 1992–2016). Yes Yes The articulation of dolphin mandibles limits jaw movement to basic open-shut motions and the conical homodont teeth are useful for grasping, but not effective for processing prey by means of mastication [95–97]. Here at Dolphin Connection, each dolphin eats 20—30 pounds of capelin and herring a day! Photo-ID analysis confirms LFTF was initially sighted in SAR during April 2016, was re-sighted five times in spring 2016, and has not been observed again as of December 2016 despite ongoing monthly photo-ID surveys in SAR, indicating that LFTF is not a long-term Sarasota Bay resident as defined by Wells [69]. Generally, bottlenose dolphin diet studies find a relatively low occurrence of marine catfish, however, those data may reflect a lack of ingested otoliths due to successful decapitations or a bias towards a diet less representative of dolphins with extended movement patterns extralimital to the study population. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181179.g001.

1. The behavior noted in SJB of dolphins lunging with catfish in-mouth may be similar to Defran and Pryor [47] who observed rough-toothed dolphins under human care to decapitate fish by slapping them against the water. Relatives of the Bottlenose Dolphin include the […] However, the habitat characteristics and the distribution patterns of prey influence the movements of dolphins and may determine foraging tactics [12, 18]. With 80 - 100 interlocking teeth, the bottlenose dolphin is a masterful predator that can trap its prey and swallow it whole. Methodology, Photographs of dolphin dorsal fins were collected and compared for each sighting for photo-ID to determine if individual dolphins were common across the catfish decapitation events within and between survey areas. Mississippi Sound, St. Joseph Bay, Sarasota Bay, and Pensacola Bay bottlenose dolphin observations and all applicable methods were conducted under National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Scientific Research Permit Nos. In fact, the natural predators of dolphins kill very few specimens compared to the deaths of those predators who do not belong to their aquatic environment. Although they usually avoid sharks or flee from them, if necessary, they show aggression and show their most powerful defense system: The pod! 2.