Dolphins
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. What does the dolphin look like?
Like a whale but with smaller flukes
Has a dorsal fin on the top of its body
Has a pair of wide, flat pectoral flippers on its underside which it uses to swim
Has a blowhole at the top of its head
Has a beak (nose) that sticks out and is rounded at the end
The line of its jaw (mouth) curves upward making it look like the dolphin is smiling
Has sharp, conical-shaped teeth which it uses to grasp food
The Bottlenose dolphins body is blue-gray or gray-brown and its skin feels smooth like a rubber inner tube
Its belly (stomach) is off-white or light gray
It is about 12-15 feet long as an adult
2. What does a dolphin need to live (habitat, diet, protection from predators, pods)?
Has excellent vision in and out of the water
Lives in temperate (warm) or tropical waters like the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea
Some live in coastal waters and others live further offshore in deeper, cooler waters
May travel in pods on a seasonal basis to reach warmer water temperatures
Eats different kinds of fish, squid, and shrimp
Does not chew fish, but swallows them whole; a dolphin may use its flukes to stun larger fish before swallowing them
Dolphins are mammals and breathe air just as humans do, so they must come to the surface of the ocean to breathe
Dolphins sleep about 8 hours a day by shutting down half of their brain and alternating sides so they can come to the surface to breathe as they slowly swim along
A thick layer of blubber just underneath the skin serves as insulation keeping the dolphin warm in the ocean depths
The dolphins body is designed to allow it to dive for 8-10 minutes before coming up for air
The dolphins predators are some types of sharks, orcas, and also