vs common bottlenose dolphin

Cocconeis disculus compared with Tursiops truncatus

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while common bottlenose dolphin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		common bottlenose dolphin
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Achnanthales (Achnanthales)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Cocconeidaceae	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Cocconeis	Tursiops (Bottlenose Dolphins)
Species	Cocconeis disculus	Tursiops truncatus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

common bottlenose dolphin

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		common bottlenose dolphin
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	45 years
Average Length	—	3.0 m
Average Weight	—	300.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.

common bottlenose dolphin

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Cocconeis disculus is a freshwater and brackish-water diatom in the family Cocconeidaceae, belonging to the class Bacillariophyceae—the diatoms, a group of unicellular photosynthetic algae encased in ornate silica cell walls called frustules. Like all members of the genus Cocconeis, C. disculus is an adnate, epiphytic species, meaning it lives attached to substrates—typically the surfaces of aquatic macrophytes, filamentous algae, and sediment particles—rather than living freely in the water column. The frustule of Cocconeis species is distinctive in its bilateral symmetry and the characteristic difference between its two valves: the rapheless valve (RV) lacks the raphe slit present on the raphe valve (RV), a feature used in species identification. Cocconeis disculus has been documented from freshwater bodies across South America and various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with distribution reflecting its tolerance of a range of water temperatures and nutrient conditions. Diatoms like C. disculus are foundational components of aquatic food webs, fixing carbon through photosynthesis and providing a nutritious food source for grazing invertebrates, protists, and larval fish. The species also contributes to the biosilica cycle through the production and dissolution of its silica frustule. As a benthic, substrate-attached organism, Cocconeis disculus serves as a sensitive bioindicator of water quality conditions in freshwater monitoring programs. Its conservation status is not formally evaluated.

common bottlenose dolphin

The most studied and recognized dolphin species, bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate oceans worldwide, from coastal shallows to the open sea. Highly intelligent with large brains relative to body size, they demonstrate self-recognition, complex communication, and social learning. They live in fluid fission-fusion societies and cooperate to herd fish. A keystone indicator species for marine ecosystem health.