Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) photographic-identification surveys were conducted by the Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) Marine Mammal Behavioral Ecology Group, on the Texas coast and included Galveston Bay, West Bay, Matagorda Bay, Corpus Christi Bay, the lower Laguna Madre, and adjacent coastal waters from 1990 to 2001. Photos were initially collected using 35mm film cameras and converted into slides or developed into print photographs and archived in physical storage. The slide film and hardcopy images of individuals with distinct dorsal fin contours were later digitized and embedded with metadata. This dataset includes the digital photographs of dolphin groups, and individual dorsal fin images embedded with metadata including general geographic locations, dolphin mother-calf associations, calf identification, and dolphin group composition. This dataset also includes some tabular data that were recorded for the West Bay study area related to the digital photos.

The NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Fisheries Science Center conducted a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) photo-identification mark-recapture and biological sampling project in Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida from 24 July to 30 August in 2007. A model-averaged estimate of the superpopulation of bottlenose dolphins in and around Choctawhatchee Bay was 232 (SE = 13) animals. Estimated resident abundance was 179 (SE = 8), which was lower than the number of unique animals encountered (n=188). This data collection includes dorsal fin photographs and sighting histories for unique photo-identified individual dolphins, including information about spatial distribution, mark characteristics, biological samples obtained, and GIS data such as survey track and waypoint files.

It has been shown through a variety of photo-identification studies that populations of bottlenose dolphin inhabit the various embayments along the coast of Florida. Knowledge of population stock structure is critical to developing management plans and understanding how stressors impact individual populations. Researchers have found that photo-identification is one of the best ways to study populations of bottlenose dolphin in near shore environments. Unlike aerial and ship-board surveys, individual dolphins can be identified and tracked temporally and spatially, giving investigators a more comprehensive picture of population stock structure

These data sets include a compilation of small vessel based studies of bottlenose dolphins that reside within Biscayne Bay, Florida, adjacent estuaries and nearshore coastal waters. The data consist primarily of photo-identification studies that use natural markings on animal dorsal fins to identify individuals over time. Surveys consist of line transects aboard small boats with concentrated effort to collect photographs of individuals. These photographs are reviewed to identify and catalog individual animals. In addition, several targeted studies have been conducted within this program to collect tissue biopsy samples for genetic and contaminant analyses. These data are used to examine demographic structure and population dynamics of the Biscayne Bay Estuarine System stock of bottlenose dolphins.

Data from these surveys have been used to track location and amount of survey effort during field projects.

Small vessel surveys are conducted within estuarine and nearshore coastal waters to collect tissue biopsy samples from bottlenose dolphins. Visual surveys are conducted to find bottlenose dolphin groups, and then close approaches are made to collect tissue samples using specialized darts that are deployed using either air rifles or crossbow. Photographs are collected during the encounter to identify individuals and document the response to the sample collection. The skin and blubber samples collected support genetics, stable isotope, and contaminant analyses. These data have been used to delineate different stocks of bottlenose dolphins in estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico.

The NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center conducted surveys within the southern North Carolina estuarine system from 2018-01-08 to 2018-01-26 to provide an updated estimate of abundance for the Southern North Carolina Estuarine System Stock (SNCESS) of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using photographic-identification capture-mark-recapture (photo-ID) techniques. The surveys were strategically planned for winter when little overlap in distribution with the Northern North Carolina Estuarine System Stock (NNCESS) or coastal migratory stocks of bottlenose dolphins was expected. Because the sighting histories of individual dolphins have been an important tool for identifying or confirming stock membership, we also compared dolphins that were photo-identified during the 2018 surveys to dolphins that were included in a long-term photo-ID catalog dating back to 1995-07-10. Using the 2018 photographs and the long-term photo-ID catalog, we also evaluated the use of differences in Xenobalanus globicipitis infestation captured in photographs among individuals and groups as support for stock definition. This dataset contains the spatiotemporal sighting histories, photographs, observations of Xenobalanus globicipitis presence/absence, and environmental data for common bottlenose dolphin groups observed during the 2018 surveys. Data for individual dolphins observed during the 2018 surveys that were previously included in the long-term photo-ID catalog were provided as a subset with corresponding photographic matches. The sighting history and photographs of individuals matching from the long-term catalog are included with the exception of those dates indicated as capture events, as such photographs were not digitized.

Teeth were collected from bottlenose dolphins that stranded within the north-central Gulf of Mexico between 1986-2003. These teeth were sectioned and growth rings were used to estimate the age of individual animals, and these estimates were used to develop sex-specific growth curves. These curves can be used to estimate the age of stranded animals based upon their observed length and provide insight into the demographics and population dynamics of bottlenose dolphins in the North-Central Gulf of Mexico.

The GPS locations of Bottlenose dolphins in the Swan River Estuary were recorded from October 2001 to June 2003 with the following fields: behaviour, date/time, location, nearest landmark, id's present, depth, feeding activity and the presence of tail slapping and boat begging.