Introduction to dolphins
Dolphins are aquatic mammals that belong to the infraorder “Cetacea” a group of animals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. They also belong to the parvorder “Odontoceti,” which are the toothed cetaceans, but taxonomically speaking, dolphins are an informal group, composed by most toothed cetaceans but excluding whales and porpoises.
There are 43 different species of dolphins identified. 38 of them are oceanic dolphins which are those that most people know and five species of river dolphins. The families included as “dolphins” are the oceanic and river dolphins:
– Delphinidae (Oceanic dolphins)
– Platanistidae (Indus and Ganges river dolphins)
– Iniidae (Amazon river dolphins)
– Pontoporiidae (La Plata river dolphins)
– Lipotidae (Baiji or Chinese river dolphins)
Regardless the place they live, Dolphins have to reach the surface of the ocean to breathe at different time intervals. This cycle can last up to 30 minutes in some large species. The skin color of dolphins is grayish-blue, but it can also be black, white, light gray, blueish and even pink or the combination of those colors varying according to the species. However, in every case, their skin is very sensitive to impacts and other elements that could be in the water.
Even though some dolphin species have up to 100 teeth, they don’t use them for chewing. They use their teeth only to hold the fish and then swallow them. Large dolphins like the Orca can consume up to 500 pounds of fish per day. The pods usually work as a team to surround a school of fish and get them as packed as possible. Afterward, they plow through the middle of the fish concentration and eat as much as they need.
They even take turns doing this so the fish do not disperse and they all have the opportunity to get the food they require. This hunting technique is just one of the many different types of feeding strategies that they may use to reduce the effort of catching fish.
“Dolphins have been interacting with humans for as long as we have known of their existence”.
If we talk about charismatic animals, dolphins are probably on the podium. Enormously popular, significantly intelligent and scientifically sophisticated, they are amidst the most beloved animals among people. Dolphins have captured the human imagination in a variety of ways. They are curious, form strong bonds within their pod, and they have been known to help their peers and people in a variety of circumstances.