Dolphins are often considered the most amazing and popular of all sea animals. These adorable marine mammals are famous for their superior intelligence and cheerful disposition. But there are many more interesting dolphin facts that you might not know. For example, did you know that dolphins only use half of their brains while sleeping? Or did you know that Dolphins can eat about 30 pounds of fish a day? These are just a couple of dolphin facts. So if you are a dolphin fan (the animal), or simply like to learn about nature in general, check out these 25 cool and extraordinary dolphin facts (you wont be sorry).
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Dolphins are capable of making a broad range of sounds using nasal air-sacs located just below the blowhole. Roughly three categories of sounds can be identified: frequency modulated whistles, burst-pulsed sounds and clicks. The clicks are amongst the loudest sounds made by marine animals.
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Dolphins are an increasingly popular choice of animal-assisted therapy for psychological problems and developmental disabilities.
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Dolphins are famous for their playful behavior and one of the most fascinating playful display is creating bubble rings. They can produce all sorts of bubbles by releasing air from their blowholes under water. They create large bubble clouds, bubble streams, and even individual bubbles. Many of these serve as visual displays, a kind of communication signal.
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The Killer Whale is the largest member of the dolphin family. They can reach 30 feet in length and swim as fast as 30 miles per hour.
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Next to bonobos and humans, dolphins are the only animal species that can have sex just for pleasure.
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Dolphins can swim at speeds up to 25 miles per hour when they are in a hurry, although they usually swim at speeds of 7 to 8 miles per hour.
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One proof of their unusually high intelligence is the fact that adult individuals sometimes teach their young how to use tools. For instance, they cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging.
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Dolphins are highly social animals, often living in pods of up to a dozen individuals, though pod sizes and structures vary greatly between species and locations. In places with a high abundance of food, pods can merge temporarily, forming a superpod which may exceed 1,000 members.
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The smallest dolphins are about 4 feet long while the longest can reach up 30 feet in length. Their weight ranges from 90 pounds to more than 11 tons.
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The skin of a dolphin is very delicate and it can easily be damaged by contact with other surfaces. That is why you are obliged to remove all sharp objects such as rings when interacting with the animals.
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Their gestation period varies with species. For small species such as the Tucuxi dolphin, the period is around 11 to 12 months, while the orca is around 17 months.
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There are about 100 teeth in the mouth of a dolphin. They use the teeth to grab their prey but they don’t chew it. All food is swallowed whole.
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The name “dolphin” is originally from the Greek word “delphís”, which was related to the Greek “delphus” meaning "womb". The animal's name can therefore be interpreted as "a fish with a womb".
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Dolphins can dive up to 1,000 feet but they usually do not dive very deep. Many bottlenose dolphins live in fairly shallow water. In the Sarasota Bay area, Florida, dolphins spend a considerable time in waters that are less than 7 feet deep.
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The bonds of dolphins within a group are intense. They have been observed to handle the sick, the elderly, and those that have been injured with great care.
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All dolphins breathe air but their breathing intervals differ. Some need to get to the surface every 20 seconds while others only need it every 30 minutes. In order to inhale and exhale they must breathe through their blowhole, not their mouth.
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Most species of dolphins live in saltwater but some of them (for example the irrawaddy dolphin) thrive in freshwater.
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The oldest dolphin in human care was Nellie who died at 61. She was kept at Marineland’s Dolphin Adventure, Florida.
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The dolphin is the only mammal that gives birth with the tail first instead of the head.
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Dolphins use echolocation to find food and navigate.
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Dolphins often use a hunting tactic of circling schools of fish and forcing them to make a tight ball. Then they will take turns going through the center of the ball to feed.
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Dolphins have to be conscious in order to breath. This means that they cannot fully sleep. Rather, dolphins let half of their brain sleep at a time so that one half is always awake. This has been determined by doing EEG studies on dolphins. They sleep about 8 hours a day in this way.
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Dolphins are extremely playful and curious animals. They play-fight with each other and also play with seaweed. They have also been known to play with other animals such as dogs or cats.
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Dolphins can travel as far as 20 feet in the air when jumping out of the water.
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An adult dolphin can eat up to 30 pounds of fish every day.
ngm.nationalgeographic.com Did you enjoy these dolphin facts? We sure hope so because their is no denying these creatures are magnificent. If you did enjoy these facts (or just enjoy dolphins in general), be sure to check out these 25 Breathtaking Photographs Of Dolphins.
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