Last week we followed a group composed of females, hatchlings, and juvenile individuals. Initially, the group was compact; following our approach, the mothers with infants moved away to protect them from the threat posed by our boat.
The bottlenose dolphin is a coastal species widespread in the Mediterranean. It lives in small to medium-sized groups, characterized by fluid and dynamic interactions among individuals in which aggregative moments are followed by moments when the group tends to break up. This type of society is called a fission-fusion society.
Social groups in the wild generally consist of three basic units: mothers with young (family unit); juvenile specimens of both sexes in temporary relationships; and adult males, single or in pairs.