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Dolphins are friendly, social and happy
animals that arewell known for their
intelligence, playful nature and the help
that they have given to humans in saving
their lives. Here are some facts about
these amazingmammals.
Friends
Of The Sea
There are over 40 species of
dolphins which swim the waters of
the world. Most live in shallow areas
of tropical and temperate oceans,
and five species live in rivers.
The dolphin is the only mammal that
gives birth with the tail first instead
of the head. The calf would drown if it
was the other way around.
Just like cows, these mammals
have two stomachs. One is used
to store food and the other is
used for digestion.
Known for their playful
behavior, dolphins are highly
intelligent. They are as smart
as apes, and the evolution of
their larger brains is surprisingly
similar to humans.
Even though they
are usually very mild
tempered, dolphins
can be aggressive.
Killer whales actually fall
into the dolphin family
and they can grow up to
30 feet in length.
A dolphin must stay at the
surface so its blowhole is
not covered with water
while it sleeps. They only
switch off one side of their
brain to keep breathing and
to stay alert.
Dolphins have 100 teeth,
but they do not use them
for eating, rather for
catching fish which they
then just swallowwhole.
They actually do not have
jawmuscles for chewing.
They can leap up to
20 feet in the air.
Dolphin sonar is
the best within
nature and superior
to a bat’s sonar and
man-made sonar.
The average
lifespan of a dolphin
is 17 years.
A group of dolphins
is called a pod.
Dolphins can swim fast,
reaching speeds of up to
25 miles per hour.