Dolphins
Main Information
Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals, have good eyesight, and can hear about 7.5 times better than we do. But, they have very little sense of smell. Dolphins are part of the toothed whales which include orcas, pilot whales, and many more. The largest member of the dolphin family is the Killer whale(orcas). Some dolphins species can swim up to 25 miles an hour for long periods of time. That is three times faster than the best human swimmers!! Some dolphins can hold their breath for as long as 30 minutes.
Diet
Dolphins eat mainly fish(piscivorus), but also consume an significant amounts of squid, and crustaceans. It mainly depends on the region, season, sex, age, and reproductive status. Bottlenose dolphins produced impressive individual and group hunting techniques. This includes things like intentional beaching, where dolphins guide prey onto muddy shorelines; fish whacking, where dolphins smack fish clear out of the air with their flukes, often into their mouths; and the use of marine sponges as tools to forage organisms living in the substrate. On average dolphins eat about 2-4%of their body weight each day.
Behavior
Dolphins are known for their agility and playful behavior, making them a favorite for wildlife watchers.Many dolphin species will leap out of the water, spy hop(rise vertically out of the water to view their surroundings) and follow ships. They often synchronizing their movements with one another. Scientists believe dolphins conserve energy by swimming alongside ships, a practice known as bow riding. They live in social groups from five to several hunderd. They often use echolocation to find prey and hunt together by surrounding a group of school fish.
Appearance
All dolphins have a dorsal fin, two flippers, and a tail called a fluke. The skin is smooth as the skin of a human, but are very sensitive meaning they can be damaged and get hurt very easily. They are also sensitive to sunlight. They can get sunburned even if they are in the water. Dolphins do not have a nose but do have a blow hole which is located on the top of the dolphins head. For dolphins to hear they have a inner ear instead of having an outer ear. At birth a Bottlenose dolphin calf is about 3-4 feet long and weighs 30-40 pounds. They are born with a dorsal fin flat on their back, and their tail flukes curled. A new born calf generally is dark in color with light strips called fetal folds. Unlike any other mammal dolphin babies are born with a tail first.