Photo: Dolphin Dorsal Fin

A close up of the dorsal fin of a Bottlenose dolphin at the L'Oceanografic at the City of Arts and Science in Valencia, Spain in Europe.

This dorsal fin belongs to one of the twenty Bottlenose dolphins that reside at the L'Oceanografic in Valencia, Spain. In the wild, photographs are taken of the dorsal fin of each dolphin for identification purposes and then compared to the data already researched. This gives them an idea of which dolphin is seen on a regular basis and helps to keep track of the dolphin population.The dorsal fin of a dolphin is made up of dense, fibrous connective tissue and is often a falcate shape although that can vary depending on the species. The dorsal fin contains no bones and the blood vessels in the dorsal fin help control the dolphin's body temperature.Not every species of dolphin has a dorsal fin but all twenty of the Bottlenose dolphins at the L'Oceanografic do and it is a great place to get a closer look at a dorsal fin.Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, at the L'Oceanographic in the La ... continue below the picture...

This picture is part of the photo album "Dolphin Pictures" - there are more beautiful images waiting for you.

... Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciencies Complex, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, The City of the Arts and Science, in the City of Valencia, Valencia, Spain, Europe.