Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals and are part of the family of toothed whales called Cetaceans. They are found throughout the world, mostly in shallow seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. Dolphin coloration varies, but they are generally gray in color with darker backs than the rest of their bodies, although in certain areas in Thailand, it is also possible to see the very rare Pink Dolphins.
Dolphins are well known for their intellect, gregarious nature, and their acrobatics, but there are many lesser known qualities that make a dolphin a dolphin:
*Dolphins have to be conscious to breath. This means that they cannot go into a full deep sleep, because then they would suffocate. Dolphins have "solved" that by letting one half of their brain sleep at a time. Dolphins sleep about 8 hours day in this fashion.
*Unlike any other mammal, dolphin babies are born tail first.
*Dolphins have very little sense of smell.
*Dolphins, like cows, have two stomachs — one for storing food and one for digesting it.
*Some dolphins have been known to dive as deep as 1,000 feet.
*A dolphin's dorsal fin is as distinctive as a person's face.
*Some dolphin species can swim up to 25 miles an hour for long periods, more than three times faster than the best human swimmers.
*In the wild, dolphins can live to be 50 years old, although the average age is 17 years.
*Some dolphins can hold their breath for as long as 30 minutes, while others have to breathe every 20 seconds.
*Bonds form between individual dolphins that may last a lifetime. They've been observed physically supporting sick or dying pod members.
*Dolphins can be quite aggressive and even brutal. Dominant members of a pod have been known to abuse weaker members.
*Thanks to a very sensitive retina that efficiently gathers light, a dolphin can see as well beneath the water as above it.
*A dolphin's brain, in relation to the size of its body, is larger than the brains of chimpanzees and great apes.
*An adult dolphin may consume 30 pounds of fish or more in a single day. Dolphins swallow fish whole, despite the 100 teeth in their mouths. The teeth are used to grasp prey.
*Dolphins can jump as high as 20 feet out of the water.
*The largest member of the dolphin family is the killer whale, which can grow to 30 feet long.
*A dolphin's skin is extremely delicate and easily injured by rough surfaces — much like human skin.
*The largest of the freshwater dolphins is the boto, found in the Amazon River. It can grow up to 10 feet long.
No comments:
Post a Comment