| Dolphins are
mammals, they are not a fish, even though they might look like it at first
glance. Mammals are warm blooded animals that bear their young live and
nurse on mother's milk, just like we as humans do.
The Bottlenose Dolphin was made famous by
the 1960's TV show Flipper. Many people call this animal a
porpoise, but it's really a dolphin. People get confused cause they look
so much like. |
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Dolphins and
porpoises are quite similar, but there are some differences. Most dolphins
have beak-like faces and pointed teeth. Porpoises have round faces and
teeth shaped like little shovels. They do not jump out of the water nearly
as often as dolphins do.
Porpoises are smaller than most dolphins.
They are fast swimmers. This Harbor Porpoise got tangled in a grill net
and drowned. |
| Dolphins and
porpoises are actually small whales. There are 13 whale families, each
with its own distinct traits. They are known as cetaceans. Cetaceans are
divided into two major groups - baleen and toothed whales. Dolphins and
porpoises are in the toothed group.
The Humpback Whale is a baleen whale. It can
grow to a length of 62 feet and weigh as much as 40 tons.
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Dolphins
have fins and torpedo shaped (streamlined) bodies. They are very agile
animals and perfect swimmers. Their skin is very soft and smooth. Unlike
most mammals, dolphins have no fur, although some have tiny whiskers
around their mouths.
The Pilot Whale and the Bottlenose Dolphin
look very different but they are both dolphins. The Pilot Whale has no
beak, yet the Bottlenose does. |
| Most
dolphins live in saltwater. They are found in all oceans, from the shallow
waters along the coast, to the deep waters of the open sea. Some dolphins
spend their entire lives in fresh water rivers and lakes.
The Amazon River Dolphin lives in the Amazon
and Orinoco rivers in South America. During the rainy season it swims into
the flooded forests in search of food. |
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A gathering
of dolphins can be called a herd, a school, a shoal or a pod. By swimming
in schools, dolphins can detect their enemies and find their food more
easily.
Common Dolphins belong to some of the
largest herds in the ocean. There may be 1,000 or more dolphins in a herd!
They aren't related, hundreds of dolphins may break away at any given
time. |
| Dolphins
jump or breach to confuse and herd fish, or to travel faster and see
further. It is also to loosen tiny animals that cling to their sensitive
skin. Some Dolphins jump so dramatically that they seem to be doing it
just for fun.
Dusky Dolphins like to chase each other.
Once one starts, others join in. They are known to make up to 50 leaps in
a row. |
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Dolphins
appear to always be smiling, but that's just their facial muscles, which
are buried beneath a thick layer of blubber. They don't reflect emotions
on their face, as a human does. The clues to whether this dolphin is
happy, angry, or just plain bored are found in its behavior.
It may look as if this bottlenose dolphin is
smiling but that's just the way the animal's mouthline is
formed. |
| Dolphins
talk to each other but to us the language sounds like clicks, squeaks,
pops and whistles. This is called echolocation, which is like using sonar.
They send out clicking sounds into the water, if these clicks come back,
it means they bounced off of an object. The dolphin can tell if it's a
fish, squid, shark or even a boat without even seeing it. They can
echolocate over a distance of at least 2,500 feet.
Besides using echolocation to find
underwater landmarks, dolphins navigate by sensing and following magnetic
patterns in the Earth. |
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Dolphins
have very sensitive skin. They can detect very small changes in pressure
around their bodies while swimming. They can also adjust their body shape
to become more streamlined. Their sensitivity is also noted when they swim
with each other.
As these Spotted Dolphins play, they
constantly touch each other with their fins, snouts and
bodies. |
| Are Dolphins
smart? They have large brains and they are curious and playful, which are
signs of intelligence. Dolphins play with their food, seaweed, each other,
other animals and even with boats. Bottlenose Dolphins have been found to
understand words and Rough-Toothed Dolphins are known to understand
commands.
Dolphins like to ride the wave at the bow
(front) of a boat or just race alongside. Dolphins also bow-ride in front
of large whales. |
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