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Have you ever wondered about how many types of dolphins are present today, of what exactly they eat or even how they sleep? They are very interesting animals which are known as the most friendliest of all. They are marine mammals very closely related to porpoises and whales. There are about forty species of dolphins present in their seventeen genera. They evolved about ten millions years ago and they turned out to be the most intelligent animals along with being very playful to humans. They belong to the family Delphinidae which hosts the 40 species mentioned earlier. For some more great dolphin facts, scroll down.
Appearance
This is the main point of dolphin facts. Dolphins vary in size from 1.2 m and 40 kgs to 9.5 m and 10 tons. They have a tapering body with one dorsal fin and two pectoral fins called flippers. The tail fin has a median notch and flukes. The ears are closely placed next to the eyes and the head has a blowhole through which the dolphins take in the oxygen. The shape of the head varies from being melon shaped in Bottlenose dolphins to simply oval in Risso's dolphins. Their appearance change with every species but these main features and the body structure remains common to all as they have evolved in this form.
Habits and Habitat
Dolphins live in deep waters but come to the shores and shallow waters for food at times. Though they live in water, they are mammals and breath air through their blowhole. Some dolphins rise up to the surface every 20 to 30 seconds and some can hold their breath for more than 30 minutes. They are very social and playful animals with curious habits and are very intelligent in behavior. They live in pods like other whale species and travel large distances for food and reproduction. When they sleep, half of their brain is active and so one of their eyes is always open. These are also some very important dolphin facts for kids.
They have excellent vision and very well developed eyes, which can spot food as
Appearance
This is the main point of dolphin facts. Dolphins vary in size from 1.2 m and 40 kgs to 9.5 m and 10 tons. They have a tapering body with one dorsal fin and two pectoral fins called flippers. The tail fin has a median notch and flukes. The ears are closely placed next to the eyes and the head has a blowhole through which the dolphins take in the oxygen. The shape of the head varies from being melon shaped in Bottlenose dolphins to simply oval in Risso's dolphins. Their appearance change with every species but these main features and the body structure remains common to all as they have evolved in this form.
Habits and Habitat
Dolphins live in deep waters but come to the shores and shallow waters for food at times. Though they live in water, they are mammals and breath air through their blowhole. Some dolphins rise up to the surface every 20 to 30 seconds and some can hold their breath for more than 30 minutes. They are very social and playful animals with curious habits and are very intelligent in behavior. They live in pods like other whale species and travel large distances for food and reproduction. When they sleep, half of their brain is active and so one of their eyes is always open. These are also some very important dolphin facts for kids.
They have excellent vision and very well developed eyes, which can spot food as