The Fascinating World Of Dolphins
By: Joshua Plansden
A lot of people consider dolphins to be one amongst the fish - as they swim in the water. But in reality unlike fish who lay eggs, dolphins are warm-blooded mammals that give birth to baby dolphins and breathe air. There are many more unique characteristics that make dolphins an interesting creature on the earth.
Dolphins and some whales are cetaceans and part of a whale group known as odontocetes. Basically this means that they all have teeth. Whales that don't have teeth to eat with are mysticetes. Dolphin teeth are cone-shaped, and it's these teeth that set them apart from other sea animals.
Dolphins live in tropical and warm waters. Many people are unaware of the fact that rivers and freshwaters are also home to few species of dolphins. These dolphins are however endangered and exist in very few numbers.
Almost 57 species of dolphins exist in the world. All dolphins have a lustrous body, which is very sleek. They have a typical long-beak like nose which is called the "rostrum". Very often, spectators tend to confuse between the porpoise and the dolphins. Both look similar in looks but are in fact different animals. The difference can be seen in their teeth. The porpoise have teeth shaped like spades for digging rocks, whereas the dolphins have teeth shaped like cones. One more main difference is that porpoises live in very cold water which cannot be tolerated by the dolphins.
The Orca or the killer whale is one of the most common species of dolphins. When people think of the most dominating and ferocious creature in the sea, the Orca or the Killer whale comes to everyone's mind. They are also the most fearless amongst all sea animals.
The female Dolphins are very caring mothers. To give birth to a young calf, the female dolphins have a very long gestation period. The female dolphins stay pregnant for 12 months to deliver one young baby. The baby calves on birth are approximately 30 inches long and weigh around 30 - 40 pounds. During the first two years of the life of the calf, the mother dolphin takes a lot of care and nurses the young one.
Even after they're weaned, the dolphin calf will swim and play with its mother for between five and seven years. During this time the young dolphin will learn how to find food and to interact socially with its relatives.
Dolphins live in groups known as "pods" and travel together. The females interact with the young, while the males keep more to themselves and don't participate in parenting.
The Dolphins are considered very friendly and are amongst the most wonderful animals on earth due to their intelligence and easy mingling with the humans. They try to convey through chirping their tongue whenever they interact with humans. This fact keeps the humans curious about this wonderful animal forever.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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