Dolphin Information :

There are at least thirty seven known species of dolphin and they belong to the same group of cetaceans as whales. Grey in colour with streamlined body’s for gliding through water. They are not fish but warm blooded mammals that breathe air through a blowhole on the top of their head, which leaves the body at speeds of 100mph. Finger like bones make up the structure of there flippers. Often thought of as one of the most intelligent animals, they are well know for there friendly interaction with humans. Sadly the Chinese River dolphin is classified as endangered under the Endangered Species Act as there are less than a hundred of this species left, making them the rarest. Bottlenose are the most commonly known.

Habitat:

Most dolphins live in warm tropical oceans however some species live in rivers around the world. Often enjoying coastal areas but will migrate if the water gets cold or food supply shortens. Some also live in captivity.

Diet; Food and eating habbits:

An adult dolphin can eat between fifteen to thirty pounds of food per day. There diet consists of various fishes and squid. Despite having up to a hundred teeth they do not bite or chew. There teeth are conical so that they can grip onto food before swallowing there prey whole. Dolphins do this to prevent fish bones from scratching the throat. Dolphins have two stomachs. One for storing food and the other for digesting  

Predators:

The primary threat to the dolphin is from man. Many are caught in fishing nets where they get trapped and die. The only natural predators of dolphin are large Sharksand killer whales. It is thought that aggressive attacks from sharks are because they share the same food source.  

Social Structure:

Dolphins are highly sociable animals living together in groups called pods. Several pods may join temporarily (for several minutes or hours) to form larger groups called herds or aggregations. Up to several hundred animals have been observed travelling in one herd. When bred in captivity they can be trained to perform tricks and play and interact with humans with the use of sign language.  

Birth, Offspring:

Dolphins give birth to there young one at a time. Females produce one offspring every two to three years after a gestation period of 12 months. Young stay with their mothers for one year so they can suckle from their mother’s milk. Sometimes, the mother will get help from another female when caring for her offspring.  

Attributes:

The dolphin's senses are very highly developed, with acute hearing, eyesight and sense of touch. Like all toothed whales dolphins have a minimal sense of smell. Little is known about a dolphin's sense of taste, although they do have taste buds and show strong preferences for certain types of food fishes.  

Fun Facts:

1. Unlike any other mammal dolphins are born tail first.
2. The dolphin is one of the most popular tattoos
3. Swimming with dolphins is thought to be therapeutic