Dolphin
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
| Dolphin |
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Dolphins are the 40 species of the dolphin family out the 17 generas.They symbolize freedom, joy,grace and serenity, to others uplifting the sprit of many people all around the world. Dolphins are mammals, not fish. They are warm blooded like man. Some dolphins have been known to dive as deep as 1,000 feet. Dolphins can jump as high as 20 feet out of the water. Dolphins are belive to be the smartest of all animals, and roughly as intelligent as a two year old human.
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Anatomy
Dolphins use their powerful tail in an up and down motion to move through the water. They also use their tails when hunting. Other fish hit their prey up into the air with their tail, stunning it,then scoop the fish up when it falls back into the water. A dolphin in the wild may slap their tail on the water as a sign of danger. When the dolphin sleeps it must shut down half of its brain. As it is breathing Dolphins take short naps floating just below the surface, then slowly rise to breathe. Often dolphins are very active during night time. For most but not all dolphins this is their feeding time.
Reproduction
Dolphin reproduced sexually, normally mating during the spring months. A female dolphin has to carry her baby(calf) for 11-12 months. The calf is delivered normally tail first, and the new born is able to swim and breath within the first minutes Nursing may continue for as long as 12 to 18 months after birth, although weaning is probably slowed or inhibited in captive animals.The baby will however stay with its mother for between 3-6 years, during which time it learns all about feeding and social interaction and. Females are likely to stay within the family pod with their mother and sisters, though males will leave. Though dolphins live in small groups called pods, these pods can be quite fluid and dolphins can be seen interacting with dolphins from other pods from time to time. If another dolphin is drowning, other dolphins will come and help “well it’s that nice” supporting it with their bodies so its blowhole is above the water allowing the dolphin to breathe.
Ecology
Dolphins frequently ride on the bow waves or the stern of the wake boats. Dolphins are very intelligent animals. Both young and old dolphins chase one another, carry objects around, toss seaweed to one another, and use objects to interact.
Dolphins spend a large part of their day looking for food, or actually feeding. This is part of their daily activity.
Dolphins are very interactive with other animal groups, such as pilot whales. They have been seen riding pressure waves of gray whales, humpback whales, and right whales. Dolphins respond to sharks with intolerance and aggression. Their natural enemies are sharks and killer whales. Tiger sharks elicit the strongest responses from dolphins. Dolphins have been observed attacking, and sometimes killing, sharks in the wild. Dolphins are also known for regularly wanting human attention, such as touching and feeding.
Gallery
 Pacific White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) |
 Liller whale (Orcinus orca) |
 Western Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) |
 Dolphin sound production anatomy. |
Related References
- Oceanic Dolphin by Wikipedia
- Delphinidae Marine Bio
- Delphinidae Animal diversity Web
