Facts about Dolphins

Here are some facts about dolphins that will feed your curiosity about these beautiful animals. Now let's see...

Did you know that dolphins are not fish despite the fact they live in the water? They are, in fact, marine mammals. You see, they have the same characteristics as mammals.They have lungs, which means they need to breathe at the surface regularly to avoid drowning. At birth, their body is covered with a very light coat of fine hair, which disappears as they grow and is replaced by a leathery skin. Their young are born live and are fed with maternal milk.They are also raising their young until they reach maturity. Their skeleton is made of bones, not cartilage like most fish. They are also warm blooded animals.

In some cases, dolphins' names contain the word "whale" in it. Why is it the case if these dolphin species are not whales? Well, there are a few reasons. First of all, whales, porpoises and dolphins belong to the order of Cetaceans, which means they are marine mammals. Some whales, porpoises and dolphins also belong to the suborder of Odontoceti, which means "toothed whales".

There stops the similar origins as they belong to different families and genus. Dolphins belong to the Delphinidae (Oceanic dolphins) and Platanistoidea (River dolphins) families.

Some dolphin species adopt a "whale behavior" or belong to a larger specie which is why people tend to confuse them with whales.

Here is a brain teaser for you! Did you know the Killer Whale is not a whale but is the largest dolphin specie? In the Killer Whale's case, it is both size and the fact that it kills whales that explain their well deserved name.

A dolphin is never closing both eyes when it sleeps. In fact, half of his brain sleeps while the other stays alert for predator and remember to go to the surface to breathe so it doesn't drown while sleeping. When one side of the brain is well rested, it is time for the other side of the brain to take a well deserved rest.

The brain of a dolphin is larger than a human's brain. While scientists are still studying their level of intelligence, humans are still considered smarter than these marine mammals...at least for now.

Dolphins are the only other creature that has sex for pleasure, just like humans.

A healthy dolphin is a shark's worst enemy, especially the Killer Whale. They use their snout to hit the shark in the gills to drown them or in the stomach, creating internal bleeding.

Dolphins live in groups called "pods".

A baby dolphin is called a "calf".

Dolphins have one row of conical teeth in comparison to sharks, which have several rows of triangular serrated teeth.

The Delphinidae family a.k.a. the oceanic dolphins contains 17 genuses which contain 32 species of dolphins. The Platanistoidea family is a superfamily that includes 4 families of river dolphins. The 4 families contain the 5 species of river dolphins species.

The 17 genuses of the Delphinidae family are:

- Genus Delphinus
- Genus Tursiops
- Genus Lissodelphis
- Genus Sotalia
- Genus Sousa
- Genus Stenella
- Genus Steno
- Genus Cephalorynchus
- Genus Grampus
- Genus Lagenodelphis
- Genus Lagenorhyncus
- Genus Orcaella
- Genus Peponocephala
- Genus Orcinus
- Genus Feresa
- Genus Pseudorca
- Genus Globicephala

The Platanistoidea superfamily contains the following 4 families:

- Family Platanistidae
- Family Iniidae
- Family Lipotidae
- Family Pontoporiidae

Here are the genuses that contain the least amount of species:

- Genus Delphinus: The main specie is the Common dolphin a.k.a. Long-Beaked dolphin and Short-Beaked dolphin.

- Genus Tursiops: Its main specie is the Bottlenose dolphin.

- Genus Lissodelphis: The 2 species are the Northern Right Whale dolphin and the Southern Right Whale dolphin.

- Genus Sotalia: Its main specie is the Tucuxi.

- Genus Sousa: The 2 species are the Indo-Pacific Humpbacked dolphin and the Atlantic Humpbacked dolphin.

- Genus Steno: Its main specie is the Rough-toothed dolphin.

- Genus Grampus: Its main specie is the Risso's dolphin.

- Genus Lagenodelphis: Its main specie is the Fraser's dolphin.

- Genus Orcaella: Its well-known specie is the Irrawaddy dolphin.

- Genus Peponocephala: Its main specie is the Melon-headed Whale.

- Genus Orcinus: Its famous and main specie is the Killer Whale.

- Genus Feresa: Its main specie is the Pygmy Killer Whale.

- Genus Pseudorca: Its main specie is the False Killer Whale.

- Genus Globicephala: The 2 species are the Long-finned Pilot Whale and the Short-finned Pilot Whale.

- Genus Stenella: There are 5 species: the Spotted dolphin a.k.a. the Pantropical Spotted dolphin, the Atlantic Spotted dolphin, the Clymene dolphin, the Spinner dolphin and the Striped dolphin.

- Genus Cephalorynchus: There are 4 species: the Black dolphin a.k.a. the Chilean dolphin, the Commerson's dolphin, the Heaviside's dolphin and the Hector's dolphin.

- Genus Lagenorhyncus: There are 6 species: the Atlantic White-sided dolphin, the Dusky dolphin, the Hourglass dolphin, the Pacific White-sided dolphin, the Peale's dolphin and the White-beaked dolphin.

Did you know that centuries ago, when sailors saw dolphins swimming by their ships, they saw them as good omens for their trip.

Dolphins have been known to save humans from drowning and shark attacks on numerous occasions.

Day or night, dolphins are known to have great eye sight. In fact, even in murky waters or in the deepest and darkest areas, dolphins use echolocation to find food, view obstacles and identify predators.

Echolocation is a way to emit sounds that rebound on objects and come back to them. These sounds are analyzed and visualized by their brain, identifying the objects, creatures or food items. Echolocation is so powerful; it can be used to identify food hiding under the sand.

Did you know that not all dolphins live in salt water? In fact, there are 4 families that contain 5 dolphins species, which are living in fresh water:

- Family Platanistidae: This family includes 2 species: the Ganges River dolphin and the Indus River dolphin.

- Family Iniidae: The main specie of this family is the Amazon River dolphin a.k.a. Pink dolphin a.k.a. Boto.

- Family Lipotidae: The main specie of this family is the Chinese River dolphin.

- Family Pontoporiidae: The main specie of this family is the Franciscana a.k.a. La Plata dolphin.

There are a few dolphin species that are considered to be endangered. They are the Indus River dolphin and the Chinese River dolphin also known as the Yangtze River dolphin. The vulnerable dolphin species are the Ganges River dolphin and the Amazon River dolphin.

On some remote islands, the natives use the help of dolphins to fish. The dolphins chase the fish in shallow waters, trapping them into nets while in exchange of their services; they are fed with a part of their daily catch.

In several parts of Asia, dolphins are slaughtered by fishermen trapping them in shallow waters as they believe them to be responsible for the smaller amount of fish they catch. There is even a time of the year dedicated for this horrible practice.

As you can see, dolphins are interesting creatures! I am certain the facts that I just shared with you teased your curiosity. If you wish to learn more about these marine mammals, I invite you to visit this website about dolphins or this interesting blog that will share news and facts about dolphins.