Dolphin Facts
• Dolphin facts reveal they are mammals and are in the Cetaceans family, which includes all whales.
• Dolphins have to surface to breathe.
• Some dolphins can hold their breath for as long as thirty minutes.
• A dolphin breathes through a blowhole in the top of his head.
• Dolphins eat other fish.
• One dolphin eats around 30 pounds of fish a day.
• There are 67 species of dolphins and only 32 of them reside in the ocean. The rest are freshwater dolphins.
• Groups of dolphins are called pods.
• Mother dolphins nurse their babies, called calves, for eighteen months.
• The dolphin mother’s milk has a very high fat content of from 33% to 50%.
• The mother and offspring have an intense bond and stay together for three to six years.
• The two halves of a dolphin’s brain sleep independently so that one half of its brain is always alert to predators.
• Dolphins are protected from the cold by their blubber.
• A dolphin’s lifespan is between 34-40 years.
• Dolphins have around 100 teeth.
• Dolphins do not chew with their teeth--they swallow the fish they are eating whole.
• Some dolphin facts are fascinating. For example, dolphins use sonar--a special sensory system to explore their surroundings. They send out clicks which echo off objects underwater. When the dolphins hear the echo their brain provides them with a picture of the object.
• Dolphins have the same senses as human beings except they cannot smell.
• Dolphins are born tail first, unlike other mammals.
• Dolphins can do all types of acrobatic leaps and maneuvers.
• Dolphins are being used more and more for human therapy.
• The bottlenose dolphin is the most popular.
• An adult dolphin is normally between seven and eleven feet long.
• Dolphin facts concerning their size show that dolphins weigh between 600-850 pounds.
• Dolphins are still being killed around the world for food, oil, fertilizer and other products.
• In parts of Asia dolphins are killed by fishermen because they are considered to be competitors for fish.
• Japan is the largest consumer of dolphin products.
• Dolphins have two stomachs. One stores food and one digests it.
• Dolphins are friendly and intelligent creatures.
• In 1989 their was a boycott on some companies that sell tuna because of the practice of using driftnets, which often catch dolphins. That is why you now see dolphin-safe labeling on tuna cans.
• Dolphins live in social groups of from five to several hundred. The entire family has a hierarchy with the dominant male on the top. Young whales are taught by the group.
• Orca dolphins are the largest and can be as long as 18 feet and weigh in the range of 19,000 pounds.