Bottlenose Dolphins

The Primorsky Aquarium is home to four common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Am, Bonia, Vasia, and Esia. Bottlenose dolphins are very sociable and highly intelligent. They have a sharp mind and thus are easily trained. They like to jump high from the water, to hula hoop and play with balls, to dance and greet guests with their flippers, sing their dolphin songs and take trainers for the ride on their back.

Vasia

Vasya is rightfully recognized as the best performer of the Aquarium. He is unbelievably industrious, tries to complete his task to 100% and is always steady as a rock. Vasia has got over 30 different stunts up his sleeve. He loves interacting with humans and even chooses to be with a trainer more often than with other dolphins. He is a calm and amiable companion for his fellow dolphins.

Bonia

Bonia is the largest bottlenose dolphin of the Primorsky Aquarium. She may be difficult to get along with as she is a real drama queen. You never know how the training session will turn out and who will outwit, the trainer or Bonia? She also obtains a very strong maternal instinct and takes care of the weak. When a young female Esia appeared at the Dolphinarium, Bonia looked after her, protected her from importunate males and became her main guide to this new home.

Esia

She is young and vigorous, amazingly fast swimmer and extremely high jumper. Esia is hyper-active, which sometimes hinders the progress of training. Trainers say that the idiom “run before you can walk” should have been invented about our Esia. One has just finished explaining what to do – and she is already here, suggesting a dozen variations of a trick. In 2022 she bore a calf and went on her maternity leave. She is a rather impetuous, but also a very caring mother, as it turned out.

Am

Am is a hot-tempered and resolute male. No wonder he requires special approach. He gets quickly bored of routine, and trainers have to use all their brilliance and ingenuity during training sessions. They like it however as it gives them opportunities to generate unconventional ideas. Moreover, this dolphin has his own unique style in doing regular tricks. Just watch him performing!

Interesting facts about bottlenose dolphins:

Adult bottlenose dolphins are 1,5 to 3 m long and weigh up to 300 kg.
They are grey, with a dark grey back and a light belly.
They are called bottlenose because of the shape of their nose (also called ‘a beak’).
Each dolphin consumes 15 kg of fish per day.
Bottlenose dolphins are fast swimmers, reaching speeds of at up to 40 km/h! And they can leap as high as 5 m above the water surface.
They breathe using lungs, like human beings, but they inhale air through a blowhole instead of a nose. After taking in air, they dive and hold their breath for 10 to 15 min.
They use echolocation by producing sounds changing frequency and resembling clicks to find objects and to hunt. The reflected sound waves inform the dolphins about the shape, size and distance to the object. This is how they recognize their trainers!
Researchers distinguished some 17 various sounds in the dolphin language, which help the animals to communicate with each other.
Each dolphin has its own signature whistle that conveys identity information. Calves learn their signature whistles from their mothers.