The name 'dolphin' comes from the Ancient Greek delphis meaning "with a womb", because it was first thought to be a fish with a womb. It is now known to be a mammal.
Killing a dolphin in ancient Greece was considered sacrilegious and was punishable by death.
A dolphin named Pelorus Jack regularly guided ships in New Zealand through treacherous waters until his disappearance in 1912. In 1904 someone aboard the SS Penguin tried to shoot Jack with a rifle, he survived and continued to guide all ships except the SS Penguin.
In Laguna, Brazil, dolphins herd fish towards local fishermen and then signal the fishermen to throw their nets. The dolphins feed on the escaping fish. They were not trained for this behavior, the collaboration has been going on at least since 1847.
A dolphin named Kelly was introduced to the world at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi in 2003. When her gave her fish for bringing them litter/dead gulls to clean her pool, Kelly exhibited a higher level of intelligence than expected. She started hiding fish under a rock in her pool, then used fish to lure gulls which she brought to her trainers to get more fish. Kelly then taught her calf the strategy, who taught more calves.
Moko was a bottlenose dolphin who became famous when he rescued two Pygmy whales in March 2008. Moko swam up to the stranded whales, who were trapped between a sandbar and a beach, and led them through a channel out into the open sea.
The Indian Government banned in 2015 the use of Dolphins for commercial entertainment, calling them "non-human persons," and declaring that it would be morally unacceptable to capture them for entertainment.
Killing a dolphin in ancient Greece was considered sacrilegious and was punishable by death.
A dolphin named Pelorus Jack regularly guided ships in New Zealand through treacherous waters until his disappearance in 1912. In 1904 someone aboard the SS Penguin tried to shoot Jack with a rifle, he survived and continued to guide all ships except the SS Penguin.
 |
| Pelorus Jack in 1909 |
In Laguna, Brazil, dolphins herd fish towards local fishermen and then signal the fishermen to throw their nets. The dolphins feed on the escaping fish. They were not trained for this behavior, the collaboration has been going on at least since 1847.
A dolphin named Kelly was introduced to the world at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi in 2003. When her gave her fish for bringing them litter/dead gulls to clean her pool, Kelly exhibited a higher level of intelligence than expected. She started hiding fish under a rock in her pool, then used fish to lure gulls which she brought to her trainers to get more fish. Kelly then taught her calf the strategy, who taught more calves.
Moko was a bottlenose dolphin who became famous when he rescued two Pygmy whales in March 2008. Moko swam up to the stranded whales, who were trapped between a sandbar and a beach, and led them through a channel out into the open sea.
The Indian Government banned in 2015 the use of Dolphins for commercial entertainment, calling them "non-human persons," and declaring that it would be morally unacceptable to capture them for entertainment.
Celebrated annually on April 14, Dolphin Day is a day dedicated to dolphins, aimed at educating people about dolphins and how they help protect the ocean.
Dolphins don't automatically breathe, they have to tell themselves to breathe. Every breath is a conscious effort.
The dolphin that played Flipper on the TV show committed suicide by refusing to breathe.
When humans take a breath, they replace only 15% of the air in their lungs with fresh air. When dolphins take a breath, they replace 90% of the air in their lungs with fresh air.
Air can be forcefully expelled from a dolphin's blowhole at a speed of 100 mph.
Dolphins can stay up to 15 minutes under water, but they cannot breathe under the water.
Due to the specialization of their brain hemispheres, dolphins use their right eye to look at unfamiliar objects and the left eye for familiar ones.
Dolphins sleep in the water with one eye open to watch for predators while they sleep.
Dolphins can swim at speeds of up to 37 mph.
They need to leap out of the water (porpoising) when they’re swimming fast because dolphins need additional oxygen to keep up with the physical exertion.
Dolphins that are tagged by scientists swim 11 percent slower because of the drag from the object on their bodies.
The brain of a dolphin is like a human brain in size and development.
Dolphins don't automatically breathe, they have to tell themselves to breathe. Every breath is a conscious effort.
The dolphin that played Flipper on the TV show committed suicide by refusing to breathe.
When humans take a breath, they replace only 15% of the air in their lungs with fresh air. When dolphins take a breath, they replace 90% of the air in their lungs with fresh air.
Air can be forcefully expelled from a dolphin's blowhole at a speed of 100 mph.
Dolphins can stay up to 15 minutes under water, but they cannot breathe under the water.
Due to the specialization of their brain hemispheres, dolphins use their right eye to look at unfamiliar objects and the left eye for familiar ones.
Dolphins sleep in the water with one eye open to watch for predators while they sleep.
Dolphins can swim at speeds of up to 37 mph.
They need to leap out of the water (porpoising) when they’re swimming fast because dolphins need additional oxygen to keep up with the physical exertion.
Dolphins that are tagged by scientists swim 11 percent slower because of the drag from the object on their bodies.
The brain of a dolphin is like a human brain in size and development.
Dolphins are all born with unique markings n their dorsal fins - their equivalent of our fingerprints - which allow them to be identified throughout their lifetimes.
Dolphins shed the top layer of their skin every two hours.
Dolphins shed the top layer of their skin every two hours.
Male dolphins are called "bulls", and females "cows".
When dolphins give birth, the babies come out tail first.
Dolphins are born with mustaches (hair around upper lip). Their mustache helps newborn dolphins locate and feel their mother for the first few days of nursing and falls off after a week or so because of a natural depilatory process.
Male dolphins have been known to separate female dolphins from their families and deny them food until they agree to mate.
Dolphins have "bromances" in which two males may pair up for as long as 15 years and help each other hook up with females.
Early in life, each dolphin creates its own unique vocal whistle that gives it an individual identity. Because each whistle is unique, dolphins are able to call to each other by mimicking the whistle of a dolphin they want to communicate with. It's the equivalent of calling each other by name.
Dolphins can communicate over telephone and appear to know who they're talking to.
Some dolphins band up with their male buddies to sing "pop songs" together to attract females. These "boy bands" can stick together for decades.
Dolphins can recognize the distinct whistle of their old friends even after 20 years of being separated.
Dolphins can recognize themselves in the mirror, and they love to admire themselves.
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
Dolphins have learned to use rudimentary tools. For example, mother dolphins teach their young to cover their snouts with sponges while foraging on the ocean floor. This prevents them from being stung by venomous creatures.
The US Navy has 75 trained dolphins to detect enemy swimmers and underwater mines.
Though killer whales are considered whales by most people, they are actually members of the Delphinidae (dolphin) family.
When dolphins give birth, the babies come out tail first.
Dolphins are born with mustaches (hair around upper lip). Their mustache helps newborn dolphins locate and feel their mother for the first few days of nursing and falls off after a week or so because of a natural depilatory process.
Male dolphins have been known to separate female dolphins from their families and deny them food until they agree to mate.
Dolphins have "bromances" in which two males may pair up for as long as 15 years and help each other hook up with females.
Early in life, each dolphin creates its own unique vocal whistle that gives it an individual identity. Because each whistle is unique, dolphins are able to call to each other by mimicking the whistle of a dolphin they want to communicate with. It's the equivalent of calling each other by name.
Dolphins can communicate over telephone and appear to know who they're talking to.
Some dolphins band up with their male buddies to sing "pop songs" together to attract females. These "boy bands" can stick together for decades.
Dolphins can recognize the distinct whistle of their old friends even after 20 years of being separated.
Dolphins can recognize themselves in the mirror, and they love to admire themselves.
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
Dolphins have learned to use rudimentary tools. For example, mother dolphins teach their young to cover their snouts with sponges while foraging on the ocean floor. This prevents them from being stung by venomous creatures.
The US Navy has 75 trained dolphins to detect enemy swimmers and underwater mines.
Though killer whales are considered whales by most people, they are actually members of the Delphinidae (dolphin) family.
No comments:
Post a Comment