Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Delphinidae
The most common type of dolphin is the Bottlenose dolphin (Genus: Tursiops).
Common bottlenose dolphins can weigh 150-600 kg.
All dolphins are carnivores. Their diet consists of fish, squid, and crustaceans.
Dolphins are known for being very playful.
Interesting Fact File
- Dolphins are thought to be second to humans in intelligence.
- They have a talent for mimicking actions and are quick learners
- They approach problem-solving in similar ways to humans.
- Dolphins can display a wide range of emotions, including empathy, grief and joy.
- Dolphins are capable of echolocation.
- Orca whales are actually a species of dolphin.
- Dolphins can form complex social groups.
- Dolphins don’t sleep. Instead, they take short ‘naps’, resting 1 hemisphere of their brain for 15-20 minutes at a time, many times in a day.
- Dolphins can hold their breath for 8-10 minutes at a time.
- Dolphins have 100 teeth, but they don’t chew their food. They swallow it whole. They just use their teeth to catch their prey.
- The epidermis of a dolphin’s skin can completely regenerate every 2 hours.
- Minecraft dolphins lead you to underwater shipwrecks.
- The US Navy trains dolphins to protect nuclear weapons, locate underwater mines and enemy swimmers.
Two Amazing Dolphin Stories
Adam Walker was a swimmer embarking on an 8.5 hour swim in the Cook Strait in New Zealand. About halfway through, Walker spotted something swimming underneath him. Terrified, he realised he was being tailed by a shark. Just as the panic was rising, a pod (group) of dolphins came just in time to chase the shark away. Adam Walker swam for the next hour accompanied by his trusty team of dolphin heroes.
Winter is an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin from Mosquito Lagoon, Florida. In 2005, she got caught in a crab trap and was severely injured. The trap cut circulation to her tail, and it quickly deteriorated. When she was rescued on December 10th by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, they found that Winter’s tail was too damaged, and they had to amputate it. Amazingly, Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics set out to design a unique prosthetic tail for Winter. Winter has become an inspiration for many to persevere through life’s challenges.
