Dolphins at Anthony's Key Resort
A dolphin's blowhole is covered by a muscular flap and when the dolphin is at rest, the flap is sealed shut by a passive response. The dolphin's blubber is a modified fatty tissue and it's thickness is determined by the location in the world where the dolphin lives. For instance, in the tropics (such as Roatan), the dolphin's blubber is only 1 inch thick because they don't need a lot of insulation in the warm tropical waters. However, in the Artic, the blubber on whales and dolphins are VERY THICK in order for them to retain their internal body temperatures in the frigid waters.
Digestive System
Dolphins have 104 cone-shaped teeth for grasping their food which mostly consists of fish and they swallow their prey head first to avoid any spines on their fins or bodies. They also have a three-chambered stomachs with one being the fore stomach used for storage, then following is the first stomach and then finally the peloric stomach where digestion occurs and then goes through the rest of the system. Their kidneys also have more surface area to remove excess water from their system.
Respiratory and Circulatory System
Dolphins have a unique system which involves their respiratory/digestive interfaces – they are two distinct systems with no connection between the two. To compare, when a human being swallows, the food goes into the back of the throat and into the pharynx region where, if not covered by the tiny flap of skin called the “epiglottis”, the food would go “down the wrong hole” and into the branchial tubes of the lungs. If working properly, the epiglottis closes and therefore, the food slides down past the epiglottis and down through the esophagus. Dolphins do not have this type of system. Therefore, if they swallow a fish, their breathing will not be cut off because if you (a human) swallow a big fish, you will suffocate because the fish would block your oxygen intake as well. Dolphins can hold their breath for up to 10 minutes and their diaphragm can expel as much as 90% of the air in it at one time. Dolphins are “homeothermic endoderms” which means that they generate heat at the same rate as they expend it. They can do this because of their streamlined body form, their blubber layer, a possibly high metabolic rate, a slow respiratory rate (2-3times a minute) and a countercurrent heat exchange circulatory system (this means that their arteries are covered by their veins). They can increase circulation in their fins to decrease their internal temperature to cool themselves down.
Respiratory and Circulatory System
Dolphins have a unique system which involves their respiratory/digestive interfaces – they are two distinct systems with no connection between the two. To compare, when a human being swallows, the food goes into the back of the throat and into the pharynx region where, if not covered by the tiny flap of skin called the “epiglottis”, the food would go “down the wrong hole” and into the branchial tubes of the lungs. If working properly, the epiglottis closes and therefore, the food slides down past the epiglottis and down through the esophagus. Dolphins do not have this type of system. Therefore, if they swallow a fish, their breathing will not be cut off because if you (a human) swallow a big fish, you will suffocate because the fish would block your oxygen intake as well. Dolphins can hold their breath for up to 10 minutes and their diaphragm can expel as much as 90% of the air in it at one time. Dolphins are “homeothermic endoderms” which means that they generate heat at the same rate as they expend it. They can do this because of their streamlined body form, their blubber layer, a possibly high metabolic rate, a slow respiratory rate (2-3times a minute) and a countercurrent heat exchange circulatory system (this means that their arteries are covered by their veins). They can increase circulation in their fins to decrease their internal temperature to cool themselves down.
Digestive System
Dolphins have 104 cone-shaped teeth for grasping their food which mostly consists of fish and they swallow their prey head first to avoid any spines on their fins or bodies. They also have a three-chambered stomachs with one being the fore stomach used for storage, then following is the first stomach and then finally the peloric stomach where digestion occurs and then goes through the rest of the system. Their kidneys also have more surface area to remove excess water from their system.
Reproductive System
There is no sexual dimorphism in dolphins meaning that you can’t make a clear distinction between the males and females of dolphins (without looking closely). Females become sexually mature between the ages of 7 and 10, while males are mature between the ages of 10 and 15 years old. Females go into heat 5 to 7 times per year, however, even if she isn’t in heat, if the male wants it…he is going to get it.
Gestation is 12 months with one calf being produced and labor can either be 20 minutes (Ladies, don’t we wish it were THAT EASY?!?) to 2 hours. The calf is born tail first and is 35-40 pounds and three and a half feet in length. The calf starts to nurse only hours after birth and the “milk” consists of 14% fat, 12-18% protein, and 60% water. The first year, the calf will double in size.
Senses
Dolphins really do not have a sense of touch, however, there are nerve endings in the rostrum, fins and genital areas and it is in these places that are most important. Dolphins have no sense of smell because the olfactory lobe is absent in the brain. Taste in dolphins consist of chemoreseptors in the tongue that detect salty, sweet, sour, etc. Taste does, in fact, play a role in social and sexual behavior - urinary and fecal matter can help by going into the mouth and aids in identifying an individual as a friend or foe.
Reproductive System
There is no sexual dimorphism in dolphins meaning that you can’t make a clear distinction between the males and females of dolphins (without looking closely). Females become sexually mature between the ages of 7 and 10, while males are mature between the ages of 10 and 15 years old. Females go into heat 5 to 7 times per year, however, even if she isn’t in heat, if the male wants it…he is going to get it.
Gestation is 12 months with one calf being produced and labor can either be 20 minutes (Ladies, don’t we wish it were THAT EASY?!?) to 2 hours. The calf is born tail first and is 35-40 pounds and three and a half feet in length. The calf starts to nurse only hours after birth and the “milk” consists of 14% fat, 12-18% protein, and 60% water. The first year, the calf will double in size.