Dolphins belong to the order of animals named Cetaceans and, for the most part, belong in the family Delphinidae, especially the wildly distributed species Delphinus delphis. They are warm-blooded mammals that bear live young and require air for breathing. They do not have gills, like a fish, but do have a blowhole on the top of their head that they breathe through. They have a very sleek and graceful body that is perfectly adapted to life under the sea. They have sleek, smooth, rubbery skin beneath which is a layer of blubber for warmth. Their bodies can measure from six feet to nine feet and they can weigh as little as 200 pounds and as much as 400 pounds. They have two flippers and a fin at the mid section of their body. They also have two flippers at the back called flukes. They have a hard, blunt snout that they can use for defense, but they cannot detect smells with it. However, they can detect tastes such as sweet, sour, bitter and salt. It is also possible for them to deferentiate between colors and shapes. Their body temperature is much like our own being in the 97.9-99 degree F range.
Dolphins, for the most part, are sea dwelling creatures, however, there are 5 species of dolphins that live in freshwater. They can be found in every ocean of the world with the exception of the waters at the poles. Dolphins live in what is known as pods. These pods are family units and can consist of up to a thousand individuals, but most dolphins roam in pods of less than 100 individuals. Dolphins are close knit within their pods and females will help other females care for their young. Females can reproduce at the age of six years. The gestation period for dolpins is nine to twelve months. When the young are born they weigh approximately 30-40 pds and will grow quickly to a weight of 70 pounds within a year. The mother will care for her young and nurse them for up to 18 months. Babies, or calves as they are known, are born tail first and must surface immediately after birth to breathe.
Dolphins are graceful swimmers and can achieve speeds of up to 40 knots. Their normal speed for swimming, however, is 10 knots. They love to play and some of their favorite things to do are ride the bow waves of ships and boats and have been known to leap out of the water up to 10 feet. Some dolphins have even been known to leap out of the water and catch fish in mid-flight.
Dolphins live off of live food they catch in the ocean. Their diet consists of fish (such as herrin, mackerel and sardines), squid, and occassionaly shrimp. They are particularly keen on fish in large schools. They find their food by echolocation, also known as sonar. This means that they give off sounds that bounce off the fish and back to them. In this way, they can find their food without even having to see it. They can even tell how far their intended food is and in what direction.
Dolphins don't have many predators, but what predators they do have are quite a threat. Orcas (killer whales) and sharks take their toll on the dolphin population. But their greatest threat to date is man. Many dolpins are inadvertently caught in tuna fisherman's nets (tuna is one of the dolphins favorite foods) and either drown or are destroyed by the fisherman. Some dolphins are destroyed in dolphin hunts such as the hunts in Japan.
Dolphins are fun-loving "people" of the sea. They are timid at first in contact with humans, but oftentimes will take to them quite quickly and become very friendly. They will allow their bodies to be touched and petted and seem to enjoy such activity.
I think dolphins are wonderful creatures. I even consider them to be a people of the sea. For if there where people living in the sea, just what form would they take? I think that form is ideally represented in the form of the dolphin. They even seem to be as intelligent as their human counterparts but in their own way. Intelligence should not be solely measured by what is accomplished by a human being. Intelligence can take many forms. Dolpins inspire me and give me happy thoughts. Nothing reminds me of the sea more than the gentle grace and beauty of a dolphin.
To continue to abuse and destroy such wonderful creatures of the sea is inhumane. For these creatures are no threat to us, and, in fact, we may learn a lot from them upon the day when we learn to effectively communicate with them.
