Dive in with us and explore the species and habitats we focus on in The Bahamas.
- Dolphins
- Rays
- Smalltooth Sawfish
- Sea Turtles
- Sharks
- Manatees
Dolphins are toothed whales and belong to a family of animals that includes bottlenose, spinner, and spotted dolphins, as well as killer whales, false killer whales, and pilot whales. As mammals, dolphins are warm-blooded, breathe air, give birth to live animals, and nurse their young.
Dolphins tend to be social and live in groups. They exhibit complex methods of communication and echolocation, making squeaks, buzzes, whistles, and clicks that can be heard from miles away. They are also thought to communicate by slapping the water’s surface with their tails or bodies. Dolphins range in size from the small, critically endangered vaquita porpoise to the iconic killer whale—the largest member of the Delphinidae, or dolphin, family.
Bahamas Species Spotlight: Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin
Playful, intelligent, and highly social, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is the most common dolphin species found in the waters of The Bahamas. Known for their sleek, gray bodies and friendly demeanor, these dolphins can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh more than 1,400 pounds. They are often seen riding the waves alongside boats, leaping gracefully out of the water, or hunting cooperatively in pods. Bottlenose dolphins thrive in the warm, clear waters of The Bahamas, from shallow coastal bays to deep offshore waters.
Threats to Dolphins
Dolphins are often referred to as “sentinels” of ocean health and provide insight into marine ecosystem dynamics. Numerous studies have explored the effects on these mammals of noise and chemical pollution, habitat degradation, and changes in climate. They are also susceptible to the same threats as all marine life: trash ingestion, collisions with boats, and becoming entangled in fishing nets and lines.
We fund scientific research, conservation programs, and community outreach efforts to save sea species and their extraordinary habitats throughout The Bahamas and surrounding Caribbean seas.
Delicate coral reefs in The Bahamas that provide habitat, food, and shelter for millions of marine animals are being decimated by rising ocean temperatures and Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease, which kills certain species of reef-building coral.
In response, we are funding the development of The Bahama’s first-ever Coral Gene Bank to rescue, preserve, study, reproduce, and grow endangered coral species. Inside the gene bank, at least 15 species and up to 600 coral colonies can be propagated, with tens of thousands of coral offspring produced each year. The Perry Institute for Marine Science is managing the design and construction of the facility at Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, and the institute’s marine biologists will operate the bio-secure facility with help from students at the University of The Bahamas.
What If Saving an Entire Reef Started With a Single Coral Fragment?
Rescue, Research, and Recovery: Humpback Whale Stranding in The Bahamas
Modern Miracle “M&M” Splashes Offshore in Bimini
The clear blue waters of The Bahamas team with a stunning array of marine life
living among coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests, and blue holes.
Dolphins are toothed whales and belong to a family of animals that includes bottlenose, spinner, and spotted dolphins, as well as killer whales, false killer whales, and pilot whales.
These little animals from the largest living organism in the ocean, including the world’s third-largest fringing barrier reef.
Swimming the seas for over 110 million years, these migrating marvels travel thousands of miles a year.
Relatives of the shark, these carnivorous creatures inhabit most ocean waters.
These graceful grazers live languidly in coastal waterways and rivers.
This hunter is one of the most hunted animals in our oceans
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