Ollie the Gold Coast Bottlenose Dolphin with no Tail - Sea World Whale Watch

Sea World Whale Watch have captured some amazing underwater footage of “Ollie“ the dolphin with no tail. The Gold Coast dolphin was bow-riding the Sea World Whale Watch vessel Spirit of Migloo entertaining excited whale watching passengers. This is the first time footage of the tailless dolphin has been recorded. He appeared strong and healthy despite his disability. The adult bottlenose dolphin is often seen by local fishermen where he is the beneficiary of the occasional undersized fish. Fishermen nicknamed him “Ollie“ after the Charles Dickens character Oliver Twist because his lack of tail causes him to use a swimming technique that involves a spiralling action. Sea World Whale Watch marine biologist Silje Vindenes believes Ollie’s amputated tail may have been the result of a rope entanglement or a shark attack. He otherwise appears to be strong and healthy, but sometimes swims in a side-to-side motion like a shark rather than the normal up and down motion of a dolphin with a tail.