How long does a dolphin live? Tributes pour in as Winter the Dolphin of 'Dolphin Tale' fame dies at 16

On Thursday, November 11, the star of the Dolphin Tale series, the dolphin named Winter, passed away at the age of 16. The aquatic mammal died on Thursday night while being prepared for a medical procedure at the Clear Marine Aquarium compound where she had been residing.

According to a press release from CMA’s website, she was suffering from a “gastrointestinal abnormality’ and was reportedly being treated by doctors from around the country.

While prepping her in surgery, the CMA Animal Care team noticed the vitals of the dolphin were dropping. After several attempts to revive her, she was pronounced dead at around 8:00 pm. It was also stated that the dolphin died while being embraced by her caregivers.

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How long had she lived her life in captivity?

Dr. Shelly Marquardt, the veterinarian doctor, said:

“While we are heartbroken by Winter’s death, we are comforted knowing that our team did everything possible to give her the best chance at survival.”

She further added,

“We worked with specialists and marine mammal experts from around the country to provide her with the best care available. Our staff worked around the clock during this challenging time.”

The famed dolphin was cared for by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium crew since 2005, when she was rescued after being caught in a crab trap and lost her tail. She was reportedly given a prosthetic tail.

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What is the lifespan of a dolphin like Winter?

According to the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AAMPA), dolphin survival rates and life expectancies in zoological facilities in the United States have risen rapidly in recent years. Their average life expectancy is now around 28 to 29 years, and dolphins in zoos and aquariums in the United States live as long or longer than those not in captivity.

On average, Dolphins live to be around 15 and 16 years old. As per the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies, the oldest dolphin scientifically aged in the wild was 48 years old at the time of its death.

However, life expectancies are also dependent on the breed and other underlying conditions. Winter’s unfortunate demise was untimely as her breed, bottlenose dolphins, have a lifespan of almost 40 years. Furthermore, female bottlenose dolphins surpass the male’s life expectancy and can live up to 60 years.

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Here's how admirers of Winter the Dolphin reacted to her demise

Dolphin Tale fans took to Twitter to express their condolences over the unfortunate death of the iconic dolphin:

Winter had starred in a family drama called Dolphin Tale in 2011, where she was accompanied by Harry Connick Jr, Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, and Morgan Freeman. She had also starred in Dolphin Tale 2 where another dolphin named Hope accompanied her.