Fascinating Facts About Dolphins

A lot of people consider dolphins to be one amongst the fish - as they swim in the water. But in reality unlike fish who lay eggs, dolphins are warm-blooded mammals that give birth to baby dolphins and breathe air. There are many more unique characteristics that make dolphins an interesting creature on the earth.

If you're ever had the opportunity to be near a dolphin you'll understand why they are as unique as they are. Dolphins, just like whales, are considered to be cetaceans and are part of the grouping of whales that are called odontocetes, which means that they have teeth. The teeth found on a dolphin are shaped like cones. Other whales fall into the group called mysticetes, in which case they don't have teeth to use for feeding.

You'll be able to find dolphins living in tropical, warm waters around the world. Unknown to most people is that there are a few species of dolphins that live in rivers and freshwater. These dolphins, however, are few in number and are now considered to be on the endangered list.

Fifty-seven different species of dolphin make up the world's population today. Dolphins have sleek bodies and their noses, called "rostrum", are long and beak-like. Many of us think that dolphins and porpoises are related, when in fact they are not. One thing that makes them different is their teeth. As mentioned the dolphin's are cone shaped and the porpoise have teeth that look more like spades. This enables them to dig for food among rock. The other major difference is the fact that porpoise are able to live in water that's colder than a dolphin can even tolerate.

The Orca or the killer whale is one of the most common species of dolphins. When people think of the most dominating and ferocious creature in the sea, the Orca or the Killer whale comes to everyone's mind. They are also the most fearless amongst all sea animals.

Dolphins have a long gestation period when it comes to the birth cycle of their young. The female dolphin will be pregnant for twelve months after which time she will give birth to one baby dolphin, called a "calf". Most baby calves will weight about 30 to 40 pounds and will be approximately 30 inches long. The mother dolphin will nurse her calf for the first two years of its life.

Even after they're weaned, the dolphin calf will swim and play with its mother for between five and seven years. During this time the young dolphin will learn how to find food and to interact socially with its relatives.

Dolphins live and travel together in what is called a "pod". It is the female dolphins that are the ones that do most of the interacting with the young dolphins, while the males play a more aloof part in the parenting process.

The dolphin continues to be one of the most fascinating animals in the world. This has a large part to do with its intelligence and incredible curiosity. These animals love to interact with man whenever they can, chirping in their native dolphin tongue about events in the water that we'll never understand.

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About the author: Joshua Plansden is the chief writer for A Dolphins Fan, the #1 source on the internet when you are searching for the latest knowledge, accurate up to date advice and commentary to do with dolphins