Each year on April 14th, National Dolphin Day recognizes the social and intelligent mammals of the water.
- Dolphins are cetacean mammals that are related to whales and porpoises. Found worldwide, they prefer the shallower seas of the continental shelves.
- As carnivores, their diet consists of mostly fish and squid.
- Male dolphin – bull
- Female dolphin – cow
- Young dolphin – calf
- Group of dolphins – school or pod
- Dolphins are known to have acute eyesight both in and out of the water.
- They also have a well-developed sense of touch, with free nerve endings densely packed in the skin.
- Since they additionally have such acute hearing, they can hear frequencies ten times or more above the upper limit of what adult humans can.
- Dolphins are also capable of making a broad range of sounds using nasal air sacs located just below the blowhole.
- You will see the dolphins frequently leaping above the water’s surface. They do this for various reasons; when traveling, jumping saves them energy as there is less friction while in the air. Their leaps even have a name called porpoising.
- Some other explanations for leaping include orientation, social display, fighting, non-verbal communication, entertainment and attempting to dislodge parasites.
- The United States National Marine Mammal Foundation conducted a study revealing that dolphins, like humans, develop a natural form of type 2 diabetes. This discovery may lead to a better understanding of the disease and new treatments for both humans and dolphins.
- There are 40 existing species of dolphins. Most species live in shallow waters of tropical and temperate oceans. Five species live in rivers.
- Dolphins can recognize themselves in the mirror, and they love to admire themselves.
- Dolphins have the longest memory in the animal kingdom.
- Dolphins can talk and understand each other over the phone.
- Dolphins have names for each other and call out to each other specifically
- A dolphin’s sonar or echolocation is rare in nature and is far superior to either the bat’s sonar or human-made sonar.
- A dolphin can produce whistles for communication and clicks for sonar at the same time, which would be like a human speaking in two voices, with two different pitches, holding two different conversations.
- Because dolphins are connected to their mothers by an umbilical cord inside a womb, dolphins have belly buttons.
- A 260-pound dolphin eats approximately 33 pounds of fish daily without gaining weight, which is akin to a human eating 15 to 22 pounds of steak a day.
- Dolphins can swim up to 30 miles (48.3 km) per hour
- It is in the nature of the dolphins to stick with their mothers for a long time before they leave their pack. Some stay with their mothers for 3 or even 8 years!
- When they are asleep, one part of their brain remains alert and awake. This keeps them safe from potential predators, and enables them to breathe while sleeping.
- Opposite to their name, Killer Whales belong to the dolphin family. Killer Whales, reaching up to a length of 30 feet, are the biggest of their kind.
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