The longer, lighter bottlenose dolphins living near South American coasts may be a different species to their relatives further offshore Carolina Bezamat

Bottlenose dolphins in South America may be splitting into two different species right before our eyes. Their distinct genetic variations may have come about due to their differing habitats.

Along the coastlines of southern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina in the South Atlantic Ocean, common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that live near the shore don’t look like their cousins that live further out to sea. They are longer, lighter and have a triangular dorsal fin, in contrast to …