Bottlenose dolphin dies at SeaWorld

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PUBLISHED: March 6, 2015 at 5:28 p.m. | UPDATED: June 16, 2018 at 3:22 a.m.

An adult male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin died today at SeaWorld Orlando.

The cause of death is not yet known, but the 22-year-old dolphin had not shown signs of illness before today. A necropsy will be complete in six to eight weeks.

“The dolphin, one of more than 80 bottlenose dolphins living in our Orlando parks, will be missed by all of us at SeaWorld,” spokesman Fred Jacobs said in an email.

SeaWorld says on its website most bottlenose dolphins probably live 20 years or less, citing an estimate based on census data from the population off the coast of Sarasota. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website says bottlenose dolphins live 40-50 years. SeaWorld says the Sarasota one is the longest-running one in the world.

Last month, a beluga whale died at SeaWorld. It had been suffering from an infection associated with a jaw injury. A cause of death has not yet been determined.