#dolphin #animals #ngscience
Learn all about the cutest and most intelligent animals in our ocean - dolphins!
Our ocean is filled with a great diversity of marine life - from microscopic plankton, cute clownfish, chilled out sea turtles to marine giants like sharks and whales. But perhaps the cutest and one of the smartest marine animals of all are DOLPHINS!
There are 38 species of dolphins, most of which live in the ocean, but a few species, like the Amazon river dolphin live in freshwater.
Dolphins are mammals. Like all mammals, they are warm-blooded and females nurture young with milk. You may recall that another characteristic of mammals is a body covered in fur or hair. Although adult dolphins are hairless, many newborn dolphins have a few whiskers around their snout when they are first born and lose them as they mature.
As mammals, dolphins also get the oxygen they need using lungs and must come to the surface regularly to take in air. This is done through an opening on the top of the head, called a blowhole.
As vertebrates, dolphins have an internal skeleton of bone. They have a well developed circulatory, respiratory and digestive system too.
Dolphins are well-adapted to life in water. They have sleek, streamlined bodies which combined with fins and a powerful tail, allow them to dart about effortlessly anda great speed.
All dolphins are active predators, feeding on a variety of fish, squid and crustaceans such as shrimps.
Many dolphins locate their prey using a special technique called echolocation. They produce short pulses of sound that are reflected off prey and back to the dolphin. Dolphins interpret reflected sound to determine the shape, size, speed, distance, and direction of travel of its unsuspecting prey - even at night or in murky water.
Another adaptation of many dolphins is a type of camouflage called countershading whereby they are darker on the top and lighter on their underside. This makes them difficult to spot from above and below.
Dolphins in groups called pods. A pod can consist of as few as 5 to 10 dolphins or as many as a thousand! Dolphins are capable of complex problem solving and social interaction and communicate and work together to diverse ways to group up and catch prey. Living in pods also helps to protect young as they mature.
So there you have it - all you need to know about the ocean's smartest and cutest animals. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below.
Thanks for learning!
Cetacea is a scientific order of large aquatic mammals that have forelimbs modified into flippers, a horizontally flattened tail, one or two nostrils at the top of the head for breathing, and no hind limbs. Cetaceans include all whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
12 сен 2024
