Dolphins are mammals in the family Delphinae (oceanic) or Platanistidae (river), and are related to whales since they are technically a type of toothed whale. Being mammals, dolphins are warm-blooded, breathe air, and drink their mothers' milk. When dolphins surface to breathe, they exhale and inhale air through their blow hole, similar to how humans exhale and inhale with their lungs. Even when they sleep, dolphins need to breathe, so they sleep with one half of their brain awake to remember to surface for air.
There are a variety of dolphins all over every ocean, and in certain freshwater sources too. The most known dolphins are bottlenose dolphins, with their round snout and smile-like mouth. However, there are more than 40 species of dolphins- many are small with about 3 meters in length; the smallest is a 1 meter dolphin called the Hector's dolphin, and 10 meter the orca or killer whale is one of the biggest. Key parts of dolphin anatomy for all species are tail, dorsal fin, and flippers. Their flippers and dorsal fins are used to steer. Dolphins use their tails (flukes) to propel them through the water by moving it up and down, and can reach swimming speeds of over kilometers an hour. This speed helps dolphins capture their prey- fish, squid, and other invertebrate. To find this food, dolphins use echolocation, meaning bouncing sound off of things to determine the exact location of those things. This works by an organ named the melon (located in the head) giving off clicks, and the wave returned from the objects is sensed through the dolphin's jaw.
Dolphins are known to be playful; they, most notably the bottlenose, are friendly to and interact with or come close to humans, such as bow riding, or jumping near boats. Dolphins are also said to be very intelligent; they have brains roughly as large and complex as human brains! Dolphins can be taught to do many things, from tricks such as painting with a brush in their mouth to locating divers under the ocean. Dolphins are also quite social, traveling in pods of up to twelve. In these pods, the males are bulls, the females are cows, and the babies are calves. In the wild, most dolphins live for about twenty-five to thirty years, but because some are facing extinction from human activity, their lives may not be so long.
Here are some sites to learn about how to help dolphins:
http://wilddolphin.org/index.html
http://www.defenders.org/dolphin/what-you-can-do
Sources:
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/dolphin.html
http://www.britannica.com/animal/dolphin-mammal
https://www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/dolphins/
There are a variety of dolphins all over every ocean, and in certain freshwater sources too. The most known dolphins are bottlenose dolphins, with their round snout and smile-like mouth. However, there are more than 40 species of dolphins- many are small with about 3 meters in length; the smallest is a 1 meter dolphin called the Hector's dolphin, and 10 meter the orca or killer whale is one of the biggest. Key parts of dolphin anatomy for all species are tail, dorsal fin, and flippers. Their flippers and dorsal fins are used to steer. Dolphins use their tails (flukes) to propel them through the water by moving it up and down, and can reach swimming speeds of over kilometers an hour. This speed helps dolphins capture their prey- fish, squid, and other invertebrate. To find this food, dolphins use echolocation, meaning bouncing sound off of things to determine the exact location of those things. This works by an organ named the melon (located in the head) giving off clicks, and the wave returned from the objects is sensed through the dolphin's jaw.
Dolphins are known to be playful; they, most notably the bottlenose, are friendly to and interact with or come close to humans, such as bow riding, or jumping near boats. Dolphins are also said to be very intelligent; they have brains roughly as large and complex as human brains! Dolphins can be taught to do many things, from tricks such as painting with a brush in their mouth to locating divers under the ocean. Dolphins are also quite social, traveling in pods of up to twelve. In these pods, the males are bulls, the females are cows, and the babies are calves. In the wild, most dolphins live for about twenty-five to thirty years, but because some are facing extinction from human activity, their lives may not be so long.
Here are some sites to learn about how to help dolphins:
http://wilddolphin.org/index.html
http://www.defenders.org/dolphin/what-you-can-do
Sources:
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/dolphin.html
http://www.britannica.com/animal/dolphin-mammal
https://www.brainpop.com/science/diversityoflife/dolphins/