DOPHINS By Allysia cortez Merriweather

There are five different groups of animals with vertebrates There are five different groups of animals with vertebrates. Mammals Fish Reptiles Birds Amphibians

THERE ARE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE A BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN A MAMMAL. A dolphin is warm-blooded. Although they live in the water, they breathe using their lungs. They have to go to the surface to get air. The dolphin’s skin is smooth, but it has tiny hairs. The dolphin has live babies.

Appearance A dolphin’s color is dark blue-gray to brown-gray. The dolphin’s size is 12 feet long. It can sometimes weigh more than 1,400 pounds. Dolphins have stream-lined bodies and a rounded head with a beak. A dolphin has a melon shaped head.

Appearance Dolphins breathe air at the surface of the water through a single blowhole located near the top of the head. They need to breathe about every 2 minutes, but can hold their breath for several minutes.

FOOD Dolphin are hunters that fish mostly hate. Dolphins eat fish, squid , crab, and seaweed. Dolphins have many pairs of sharp pointed teeth in their upper and lower jaws.

Diagram of a Dolphin

Dolphin pictures

Habitat and Range Dolphins live near the coast. They live in waters from Maine to Florida. They like warm saltwater around the world. We see many dolphins who love the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Interesting Facts Dolphins can dive down to more than 1,000 feet. They can jump up to 20 feet out of the water. They love to do tricks in the water and are always fun to watch.

Bow Riding A bow rider is a dolphin that hangs around the front of a boat or ship. The dolphin rides the wave and surfs using the pressure created by the moving ship.

Social Groups Dolphins live in small pods with up to 12 other dolphins. They are very social animals. They will work together like a family. Dolphins live for about 25 years.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the bottlenose dolphin. To learn more go to the library or check out the internet.