Lets talk Dolphins

LET’S TALK DOLPHINS!

I think everybody in the world wishes to swim with dolphins as some point. For me that will be a dream come true l tell you. These beautiful intelligent creatures are magnificent as they are amazing. Let me educated you on why these creatures are awesome. Did you know that Shark’s are afraid of Dolphins? Hard to imagine that these sweet creatures would cause such a threat right! Welcome to Dolphin World!

Right of the bat did you known dolphins sleep with one eye open? Ain’t that fascinating? fact, dolphins can alternate which side of their brain is sleeping; one side alert for danger, the other for catching up on some rest. Dolphins often lie still at the water’s surface, occasionally bobbing slowly and steadily while snoozing. Remember, dolphins must surface to breathe, so staying at the surface is a must. According to Kumpunen(2022)

Anyway so apparently there are 36 species of marine dolphins. The Amazon river is home to four species of river dolphin that are found nowhere else on Earth. (Freshwater Dolphins) According to Warmard  “ The oceanic dolphin family is by far the largest, with 38 members. The porpoise family has seven members, and there are four river dolphin families, each containing just one species.” Of course we can’t name all of them do will name a few Common Bottlenoded Dolphin, Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Dusky and Skinner Dolphins.

Another fascinating fact is apparent they all have unique names for one another like himself smh! Yes you read correctly honey boo! Dolphins can create and assign unique whistles and clicks to fellow members of the pod, making for some efficient communication and teamwork. Even more, research shows they can remember names for over 20 years and have been known to call on each other by name when apart or missing one another. It makes yo wonder if you a dolphin what would your dolphin nickname be right .

Did you know the killer whales/Orca  are actually Dolphins? it’s the largest species of dolphin? Contrary to its nickname, this species isn’t a whale at all. In fact, the name is said to have originated from ancient sailors who witnessed orcas hunting larger whales. Fascinatingly, this species is widespread and can be found inhabiting all of Earth’s oceans but prefer colder, polar waters surrounding Antarctica, Alaska and the Northern Pacific Ocean, to name a few. 

Dolphins have amazing social cues almost the same as elephants. Normally they would carry their offspring for a gestation period for 12 months but they may even stretch it to 18 months! Imagine that! For example the Orca family groups have been known to stay together for generations.Once the Calf is born the dolphins don’t shoer their offspring off kike most wildlife, they actually with them till they  about 3-6 yeard old. 

Dolphins are generally known  as fish but they are actually mamals belonging to the cetacean family. So  because dolphins can’t breathe under water dolphins surface for oxygen and quickly get get the air they need from their blowhole which is conveniently located on their back.This explains their tendency to swim closer to the surface, they do well with holding their breath to make longer, deeper dives.  

Dolphins have larger brains than humans. Though, in this case, size may not matter. When comparing and measuring with a brain-to-body-weight ratio, a dolphin’s brain ranks lower than a human brain. What is most curious about dolphins is their complex and advanced neocortex, the part of the brain responsible for self-awareness, problem-solving. Dolphins have been found to have neurons identical to humans and great apes which are responsible for emotional and social cognition.

Please note although we love to think dolphins are smiling they aren’t. It just happens to be the shape of their jaws. Which poses a problem because people assume they are happy to perform in captivity which is further from the truth.

It’s clear that dolphins are some of the smartest and most fascinating animals on Earth. Unfortunately, many people don’t realise they have been duped by travel companies like TUI into thinking that watching captive dolphins is a fun and ethical tourist activity. The reality is that these dolphins are kept in cruel conditions and made to perform in stressful environments in exchange for dead, frozen fish. The time to end dolphin captivity is now.

According to WWF 

Marine traffic around the British Isles is amongst the most intense of anywhere in the world. Noise pollution from naval activity, the oil and gas industry, seismic surveys and underwater construction can stress and injure cetaceans. It also severely interferes with their ability to communicate, reproduce, navigate and find prey – sometimes proving fatal. 

Bottlenose dolphins are often killed accidentally in gillnets, driftnets, purse seines, trawls, long-lines and on hook-and-line gear used in fisheries. In UK waters, bottlenose dolphins are one of the species most threatened by bycatch. WWF and its partners are working with fisheries across the world to test and encourage the use of sustainable fishing gear. One solution is attaching acoustic alarms, or ‘pingers’, to fishing nets alerts cetaceans to the presence of fishing gear helping them avoid it. 

Dolphins are considerably fast swimmers too, for example the Bottlednose dolphins are usually slow swimmersat 2pmh.However they can reach speeds of over 30 mph for brief periods! Still on the Bottlednose dolphins they eat fish uniquely. They swallow a fish head first so the fish’s spines don’t catch in their throat. 

Dolphines produce bubbles when hunting to heard their prey to the surface. They also use a technique called “ fish-whacking “ which is basically using their take yo hit the fish to stun them. Ha! 

Dolphins have arobatic acoustic ability.  They make sounds ranging from whistles clicks,squawks, squeaks, groans, moans,barks and helps!

References

https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/latest/blogs/7-dolphin-facts/

Types of Dolphins and Where to See Them

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/dolphins