Dolphins are mammals; this means that they nurse their babies with milk from the mothers. Dolphins can swim up to 260 m. below the surface of the ocean and can stay up to 15 minutes under water, but they cannot breath under the water.
Facts About Dolphins
- Dolphins use a technique called echolocation to find food and navigate.
- Dolphins live in groups formed by 10 to 12 individuals.
- There are 32 different kinds of ocean dolphins and 4 species of river dolphins.
- The largest dolphin is the “killer whale” (also known as Orca).
- The most known dolphin is the “ bottlenose dolphin”.
- Dolphin are warm-blooded.
- Dolphin communicate through sounds and whistles.
- Dolphin eat fish and squid.
- The dolphin is the only mammal that gives birth with the tail first instead of the
head.
- Young dolphin will remain with their mother for a period of 2 or 3 years.
- There are two stomachs for dolphins just like for cows. The first one stores the food for them and the
second one is where digestion takes place.
- A dolphin may be able to dive up to 1,000 feet.
- The dorsal fin on every dolphin is very unique and it can be used to identify them from each other
- Dolphins can swim at a speed of up to 25 miles per hour for a long time. This is about 3 times faster than
the fastest humans in the world.
- The average lifespan of a dolphin is 17 years. However, some of them that have been observed in the wild
lived about 50 years.
- Most species of dolphin live in saltwater but some of them thrive in freshwater.
- A dolphin needs to get air at different intervals. Some need air every 20 seconds but others only need it
every 30 minutes.
- A group of dolphins is called a pod.
- Compared to other animals, dolphins are believed to be very intelligent.
- Female dolphins are called cows, males are called bulls and young dolphins are called calves.
- Dolphin often display a playful attitude which makes them popular in human culture. They can be seen jumping out of the water, riding waves, play fighting and occasionally interacting with humans swimming in the water.
- Dolphin use a blowhole on top of their heads to breathe. The blowhole is an evolved nose that has
moved upward to the top of the dolphin’s head.
- They are able to see well in the water due to the retina gathering light in a unique way.
- The skin of the dolphin is very delicate and it can easily be damaged by contact with other surfaces.
- The Boto is the largest of the dolphins that can live in freshwater. They can be up to 10 feet long.
- Dolphin often use a hunting tactic of circling the fish in a school so that they make a tight ball. Then they will take turns going through the center of the ball to feed as they do so.
- Only one side of the dolphin’s brain sleeps at a time. This allows them to be able to breathe and to be able to watch for threats even while they are resting.
- Dolphin enjoy socializing and playing. They play with seaweed or with other members of the pod. Sometimes,
they will tease other living creatures in the water.
- Global warming continues to be a problem for dolphins as it has reduced their food supply significantly.
- The smallest dolphin are about 4 feet long with the longest being 30 feet long. They can weigh from 90
pounds to more than 11 tons.
- The fluke is the name for the tail on a dolphin.