Dolphin Habitat Shark reef

Dolphin Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea (Cetus = a whale) Includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

Evolution / Anatomy Descendants of terrestrial mammals. Vestigial hind legs. Streamlined body. The head contains the melon, a round organ used for echolocation.

Evolution / Anatomy Teeth can be very numerous (up to two hundred and fifty) in several species. Large Brain (cortex) Unlike most mammals, dolphins do not have hair, but they are born with a few hairs around the tip of their rostrum which they lose after some time, in some cases even before they are born.

Senses Acute eyesight. Sense of hearing is superior to that of humans. No sense of smell. They can taste. Do dolphins sleep? Like every mammal, dolphins need to sleep. Since underwater life requires breathing control, dolphins have developed a special way to sleep. The two halves of the brain sleep independently, and never simultaneously. In this way, one side can always control breathing, while the other controls basic behavioral patterns.

Behavior Dolphins are social, living in pods (also called "schools") of up to a dozen individuals. Pods can join temporarily and may exceed a thousand. The cetaceans can establish strong bonds between each other. This leads to them staying with injured or ill individuals.

Behavior Taught behavior (Sponge) Dolphins have also been known to seemingly protect swimmers from sharks by swimming circles around them. acts of aggression exile Infanticide Dolphins have also been known to kill porpoises for reasons which are not fully understood The male dolphin has two slits in its lower belly, one for its penis and the other for its anus. The female dolphin has only one slit, which contains both the anus and the vagina.

Reproduction and sexuality Dolphin copulation happens belly to belly and though many species engage in lengthy foreplay. Dolphins live in a sort of harem - a single male copulates with and impregnates a number of females. gestation period varies per species approximately 12 months and generally comes only one calf and it stays close to its mother for up to 6 years. Bottlenose dolphins live between 35 and 40 years. Dolphins are one of the few animals other than humans known to have sex for reasons other than reproduction.

Feeding Dolphins use teeth to hunt, not to chew. Fish and squid are the main source of food for most dolphin species Herding; a pod will control a school of fish while individual members take turns plowing through the school, feeding. The dolphin keeps its teeth for its whole life

Vocalizations Dolphins are capable of making a broad range of sounds using nasal air sacs located just below the blowhole. Whistles; burst-pulsed sounds and clicks.

Human threats to dolphins