Interesting facts about Dolphins
- Dolphins are marine mammals closely related to whales and porpoises.
- There are almost forty species of dolphin.
- They vary in size from 4 ft and 40 kg to 30 ft and 10 tonnes.
- They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves and are carnivores, eating mostly fish and squid.
- A group of dolphins is called a 'school'. Male dolphins are called 'bulls', females 'cows' and young dolphins are called 'calves'.
- Some species have up to 250 teeth.
- Dolphins breathe through a blowhole on top of their head.
- The dolphin brain is large and highly complex, and is different in structure from that of most land mammals
- Dolphins do not have hair, except for a few hairs around the tip of their rostrum (beak) which they lose shortly before or after birth
- Most dolphins have acute eyesight, both in and out of the water, and they can hear frequencies ten times or more above the upper limit of adult human hearing.
- Though they have a small ear opening on each side of their head.
- The Indus Dolphin is effectively blind.
- The dolphin's sense of touch is also well-developed.
- Dolphins are often regarded as one of Earth's most intelligent animals, though it is hard to say just how intelligent.
- Indus river dolphin, this species sleeps in very short bursts which last between 4 and 60 seconds.
- Dolphins communicate by touch each other.
