Dolphins - Amazing Creatures Of The Ocean

A lot of people consider dolphins to be one amongst the fish - as they swim in the water. But in reality unlike fish who lay eggs, dolphins are warm-blooded mammals that give birth to baby dolphins and breathe air. There are many more unique characteristics that make dolphins an interesting creature on the earth.

Dolphins and some whales are cetaceans and part of a whale group known as odontocetes. Basically this means that they all have teeth. Whales that don't have teeth to eat with are mysticetes. Dolphin teeth are cone-shaped, and it's these teeth that set them apart from other sea animals.

You'll be able to find dolphins living in tropical, warm waters around the world. Unknown to most people is that there are a few species of dolphins that live in rivers and freshwater. These dolphins, however, are few in number and are now considered to be on the endangered list.

Fifty-seven different species of dolphin make up the world's population today. Dolphins have sleek bodies and their noses, called "rostrum", are long and beak-like. Many of us think that dolphins and porpoises are related, when in fact they are not. One thing that makes them different is their teeth. As mentioned the dolphin's are cone shaped and the porpoise have teeth that look more like spades. This enables them to dig for food among rock. The other major difference is the fact that porpoise are able to live in water that's colder than a dolphin can even tolerate.

One of the most common and well known species of dolphins is the Orca, also known as the killer whale. This large dolphin is considered to be fearless in the water, dominating the list of sea animals that people think of when they think of ferocious creatures.

Dolphins have a long gestation period when it comes to the birth cycle of their young. The female dolphin will be pregnant for twelve months after which time she will give birth to one baby dolphin, called a "calf". Most baby calves will weight about 30 to 40 pounds and will be approximately 30 inches long. The mother dolphin will nurse her calf for the first two years of its life.

Young dolphins tend to stay close to their mothers for around five to seven years, which is a very long time when compared to other animals. In other animal species, the siblings leave the mother very soon after birth and are on their own. The young dolphins while staying with their mothers learn the nuances on how to pull on with the other dolphins and also how and where to look for their food.

Dolphins live in groups known as "pods" and travel together. The females interact with the young, while the males keep more to themselves and don't participate in parenting.

Dolphins are amazingly intelligent and curious. These traits make them intriguing to us, along with the fact that dolphins love to interact with humans. They are always ready to tell us all about what's going on in the waters around us, but unfortunately we aren't able to understand them.

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About the author: Joshua Plansden is the chief writer for A Dolphins Fan, the best place on the internet when you're searching for the latest knowledge, accurate up to date advice and commentary to do with dolphins. For questions or comments about this article why not visit: www.adolphinsfan.com/articles
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