Introduction of Cetaceans- Dolphins
Dolphins are high intelligent marine mammals related to the group of Cetaceans. As you can tell, Cetaceans are not fish.
"Dolphins can teach us how
we can life with ourselves even,
with each other and with our
environment into harmony."
Serge Kahili King, a shaman from Hawaii.
I wish you welcome to a website filled with zoological facts and informations
about dolphins and people associated with dolphins. Please give me a note if something
is not correct or if something is missing which you hoped to find here!
Who doesn't know them, these creatures which are much-loved
and adored in many cultures which stand as a symbol for lifes, love
and liberty? Many people took place experiencedly this one by the meeting
with the people of the oceans like the dolphins also bashfully want
to have already the deep one, effect even healing. One comes into touch
with these fascinating creatures once, possibly in the wild one knows
about particularly profound personal impressions to report only too
well and such a meeting doesn't seldom even lead to positive changes
yet the own be. A such personal and profound experience doesn't seldom
lead to a new positive perspective and also to new activities in the
life and also to changes of the own self either.
Unfortunately, it gets still more difficult to meet dolphins in the
wild since these fascinating creatures must be protected by sharp laws
in the meantime. The physical and emotional healing effects of one
already have himself in the meantime since long proved that meeting
can without having to keep the dolphins into captivity at
this be produced with dolphins also to country in a so called "dolphinary
energy field". It is only too a pity that one unfortunately
distorts the picture of the dolphins by television series such as "Flipper" or
"Seaquest".
What are dolphins?
Dolphins, like you and me, are mammals. They have teeth, are warm-blooded,
have a four-chambered heart, and nurse their young from mammary glands.
Dolphins also have hair - but not very much! Dolphins belong to a group of
mammals called cetaceans. Cetaceans include all whales and dolphins.
Some cetaceans, like the blue whale, are baleen whales and have horny
plates hanging from their upper jaw that are used to strain food from the
ocean. Others, like dolphins, are "toothed whales." In the group
of toothed whales, there are several subgroups:
| oceanic dolphins |
32 species |
| river dolphins |
5 species |
| sperm whales |
3 species |
| beaked whales |
19 species |
| beluga and narwhales |
2 species |
| porpoises |
6 species |
What's the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise?
Even though they are both toothed whales, they have different body shapes. Dolphins
usually have a large forehead. The easiest way to tell them apart is to look
at their teeth. All dolphin teeth are round when you cut them in half. All porpoise
teeth are flat.
What are flippers and flukes?
The front limbs on a dolphin are called flippers. The bones inside the flippers are similar
to the bones inside your arm and hand. Dolphins don't have any hind limbs. The dolphin's
tail is called its flukes (each half is a fluke). There are no bones in a dolphin's flukes,
just tough connective tissue. The dolphin uses its flukes for swimming and its flippers for
steering. Most dolphins have a boneless dorsal fin in the middle of their back that works
somewhat like the rudder on a boat. Like the flukes, the dorsal fin does not contain any
bones.
Are all dolphins the same color?
Dolphin body color is highly variable. Some, like the killer
whale, are strikingly black and white. Other dolphins - like the pilot
and false killer whales - are almost solid black. The bottlenose
dolphin is usually some shade of gray, but it is much lighter on
its belly than on its back. This kind of coloring may help camouflage
dolphins in the water. Looking down on them, the dark colors blend
in with the ocean. Looking up from underneath, the patches of light
and dark skin blend in with the sunlight coming through the water.
How big do dolphins grow?
The biggest dolphin is the killer whale. Killer whale calves are about 2.44 meters
long at birth and can grow to over 6.1 meters long. Bottlenose dolphins are about
1.1 meters long at birth and grow to 2.5 or 2.8 meters long.
Where do dolphins life?
All over the world - from colder northern and southern waters
to warm tropical waters. The bottlenose dolphin prefers warmer water.
How fast do dolphins swim?
One doesn't know how fast most dolphins swim but bottlenose dolphins typically
swim at 5 to 12 kilometers per hour. They can go over 32 kilometers per hour
when they work hard. The body shape of a dolphin helps it swim fast. A dolphin's body
is shaped like a tube that is pointed at both ends. This streamlining helps
the water flow over the dolphin's body as it swims.
How deep do dolphins dive?
It's hard to say how deep oceanic dolphins can dive because most of the 32
species have not been studied. Bottlenose dolphins are shallow divers and
typically don't go deeper than 45 meters. In the Indian River Lagoon the
deepest waters are only 3 to 3.6 meters deep.
How do dolphins stay warm?
Even though dolphins are warm-blooded, and their internal temperature
is about 36 "celsius" degrees, they need to conserve
their body heat in colder water. Like most whales, the dolphin's
body is surrounded by a thick layer of fat (called blubber) just under
the skin that helps keep the dolphin warm.
What do dolphins eat?
Mostly a variety of fish and squid, depending on what part of the ocean
they life in. The bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon
eat mostly fish because there aren't many squid in the lagoon. A
dolphin's cone-shaped teeth interlock to catch fish. Their teeth
are not used to chew, and they swallow their food whole.
How do dolphins communicate?
Just like dogs, cats, and other mammals - by using sound, vision,
touch, and taste. Dolphins don't have the ability to smell, however.
Scientists do not think that dolphins have a language like humans.
Each dolphin can make a unique signature whistle that may help individual
dolphins recognize each other, but it may just help a dolphin know
that some other dolphin is nearby.
Scientists don't know for sure.
How intelligent are dolphins?
One doesn't know because no one has given them an intelligence test! Most scientists
believe that dolphins are on a level with chimpanzees and dogs. Dolphins
can learn to perform certain actions. They learn best when actions are broken
into small steps and they are given food or other rewards.
Do dolphins have families?
The structure of dolphin groups (also called herds or pods) is more like that of dolphins than humans.
In killer whales the social group is formed by
a female and her calves - even if they have grown to adults. The fathers
of the calves do not life with the pod. One doesn't know what the social
structure is for many kinds of dolphins.
What is echolocation?
Echolocation is a way of using sound to find objects in the environment.
Bats use it in the air and dolphins use it in the water.
To echolocate, the dolphin generates a sound pulse (of clicks) in its forehead
which is sent into the water.The sound bounces off objects, creating an echo that
returns to the dolphins. We think that dolphins hear the returning echoes by feeling
the sound pulses against their jaws. Different objects (like different kinds of fish)
give off different kinds of echoes. Dolphins can also judge how far away the object
is by the amount of time it takes for the echo to return.
Are all dolphins endangered?
Yes, all dolphins are even very endangered. Both the bottlenose dolphin and the
killer whale are strongly endangered. It is several of the river dolphins actually
also endangered because people have destroyed her day room. People don't care
about the earth, much more kind of dolphin gets more endangered in future if we.
We all people are responsible that these fascinating strongly endangered animals
aren't disturbed into their day room. Dolphins and whales still are hunted by
us people and kill from avarice or also out of desire at it, killed. If we all
people don't change our views in future, the dolphins and whales are disappeared
forewer from the oceans!
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Actual programs for adopt Dolphin or Whale
Would you like to adopt a whale or dolphin? Following are one or more dolphin and whale
adoption programs. Most provide a certificate, photo, chart, and quarterly newsletter.
Check out the following web sites and contact the organizations if there is one for more
information about the programs.
»The Whale and Dolphin Adoption Project«
»Delivery UK wide; The Adopt a Dolphin pack«
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