Great Dolphins

1. Great Dolphins Amazing Swimmers By: Emma D

2. Introduction The scientific name for a Bottle Nose dolphin is TursiopsTruncatus. A dolphin can live up to 45 years in the wild. A dolphin can live up to 60 in captivity. A dolphin is endangered because fishermen catch them with other fish and when people dump trash in the ocean that kills them. When beavers put dams in rivers dolphins have to live some where else.

3. What Dolphins Look Like Dolphins are: gray because of all the blubber under it. about 2-4 meters long. weigh between 150 and 650 kilograms. Have excellent vision both in and out of water. Have two flippers to swim on the side of their body Dolphins have a blowhole on top of their head. Dolphins skin is really slimy and smooth. They have a dorsal fin on top of their back Dolphins tails are shaped like a rounded triangle.

4. More of How Dolphins Look Instead of ears they have ear holes. Dolphins eyes are small for a mammal but big for a fish. Without their eyes they won’t be able to catch their prey or their predator won’t be able to catch them Have a nose that is 3 inches long Dolphins have 18-28 teeth on each side of their jaw.

5. Habitat Their habitat is oceans. They live in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near Europe and Africa, South America and North America. They even live in the oceans in the Middle East and Asia. They don’t live in the Arctic Ocean Some dolphins live in rivers and never go into the ocean.

6. Climate Dolphins are found all over the world Dolphins like warm water that is about 70 degrees They also like shallow sea water along the coasts They live in temperate but tropical waters. They live near the corral reefs. Most dolphins live near the equator.

7. Food A dolphin is a carnivore which means they are meat eaters. They get their food by catching them in their mouth and quickly swallowing it. Dolphins eat fish, squid, eels, crustaceans and shrimp.

8. Prey And Predators Predator Sharks orcas people eat dolphins. Prey • Dolphins eat: • fish • squid • eels • Crustaceans • shrimp.

9. Behavior Dolphins are really friendly to people and to other dolphins. But when something is trying to eat or someone is attacking them they fight back Dolphins love to leap out of the water They are curious toward humans—they have been known to rescue injured divers by raising them to the surface They will help injured members of their own species

10. Babies A female gives birth to one calf at a time . Babies are about are about 4 feet long. Also babies weigh about 66 pounds at birth . A mother gives birth after 12 months of being pregnant. A mother stays with her baby for 3 years.

11. Physical Adaptation A dolphin is long and thin like a torpedo so they can move faster to catch food and escape from predators. Dolphins use their tail to swim even in rough water Fin shape so it can jump really high which helps it get air. Big eyes that help them see in the water and find their food Dolphins have slimy skin not scales because it’s not a fish it’s a mammal which helps them swim through the water more easily

12. Behavioral Adaptation Dolphins save oxygen in their lungs so they don’t drown. Swims with other dolphins for company and protection Dolphins swim in pods which are groups and they communicate with each other using sonar to help catch food and warn of predators. They use echolocation to find their food.

13. Physiological Adaptations Blubber is something below the skin that is a layer of fat, it keeps the cold out. Melon this fatty bulge in the forehead helps dolphins to hunt and communicate. 2 small ear openings behind their eyes which has excellent hearing to protect itself from predators Dolphins have arm bones that help them swim in rough waters.

14. Fun Facts Dolphins leap up to 16 feet. About 37 different kinds of dolphins live in oceans. A bottle nose dolphin is called a bottle nose because their noses are shaped like an old fashioned bottle. Dolphins preform in many different aquariums.