Alison Barrett Dolphins

There is no debate that one of the most attractive, human friendly and intelligent beauties in nature is the killer whale, more commonly known as the orca. The orca is in the dolphin family, but capable of learning human traits and freely interacting with them without causing any harm. Their curious behavior and acrobatic moves make us enjoy their company through watching and spending time in the waters with them. However, the gradual decline in the population of the orca is a worrying trend that sparks another kind of debate. Our interactions with killer whales is endangering their survival in the ecosystem, which should not be the case (BioExpedition 1). Our interaction with the

The Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) are probably the most popular species of dolphins around. Coming under the order of Cetecea and the family of Delphinidae, the bottlenose dolphins are closely related to whales and are highly intelligent creatures (source 7). They are widely distributed around the world in the deep tropical and sub-tropical seas as well as other warm regions. For this reason, there is no recorded global estimate of the number of Bottlenose Dolphins in this world. According to source 9, it is regarded as a common cetacean, and too large and strong to be captured by accident.

The fork in the tail shows that the fish is not a very fast swimmer. The lateral line helps the fish detect predators or prey. The pelvic fins do the job of the dorsal fins to help keep its balance. It uses it's mouth to crush its prey. The pectoral fin helps steer the fish in the direction it wants to go. It has very well developed eyes so it can see its prey and predators very well. The anal fin or fins are used the same way as the pectoral fins and help move the fish it the direction it want to go. The gill cover protects the

Dolphins live in packs also known as pods. All dolphins don't live in the same pod forever they might move from pod to pod. That's why there are smart because they ned brain capacity to move from pod to pod and not break chemistry. Most pods don't care for the leader beside the bottlenose dolphins. regardless most species pods do not have any membership. a lot of pods are separated from male to female. Male pods can live with the same members ranging from 10 to 25 years. Male pods cooperate during mating season so each dolphin gets a specific female. Most male pods compete and team up to defend themselves. There are three different types of pods, nursery, juveniles, and males. Nursey pods are full of females and their calfs. Juvenile pods

II. the second reason is because the whales do a lot of turning since they cannot swim in a straight line as they do in the wild, thus bending the fin.

Bottlenose Dolphins are a very interesting animal. They have a fusiform (Spindle shaped) body that allows them to move quickly in the water. Because of the Dolphins’ shape they have bilateral symmetry. They also have a dorsal fin, flippers, and a fluke. However, Bottlenose Dolphins do not have ears on the outside of their bodies, hair, or hind limbs. The color of this type of dolphin is usually a light grey color to a black. Their stomach is white and sometimes has a pink hue. One physical adaptation these dolphins have is a telescoped skull. The skull is like this because it allows them to breathe more easily while swimming. Bottlenose Dolphins also have blubber that they use as insulation and vascular shunts that allow them to have cooling for certain types of organs and tissues in their bodies. Finally, Bottlenose Dolphins have sharp teeth that let them grasp onto their prey, so their tongue can push the prey down the dolphin’s throat. Bottlenose Dolphins have a range mass of 260 to 500kg which is 572.69 to 1101.32 in pounds. The average mass of the Bottlenose Dolphin is 400kg. Their average mass in pounds is 881.06.

Without a strong long distance swim, a whale’s dorsal fin becomes weakened and will eventually either look bent, curve to the side, or break off.

Bottlenose dolphins are among the most familiar cetaceans, just as whales. The Bottlenose dolphin is a primitive member of the subfamily Delphinine. Bottlenose dolphins are grey, varying from dark grey at the top near the dorsal fin to very light grey and almost white at the underside. There are two ecotypes of bottlenose dolphins the coastal and the offshore. The Coastal dolphin has a small body and large flippers to increase agility and heat dissipation. They have a limited movement into offshore waters and like shallow warm water near the shore. Coastal dolphins for the most part remain in their region. The Offshore dolphin has a large body to help conserve heat and defend itself against predators. They are less restricted in range and movement and like deep, cold waters. Offshore dolphins in the North Atlantic have migratory patterns that follow prey distribution. Bottlenose dolphins live in groups typically of 10–30 members, called pods, but group size varies from single individuals up to more than 1,000. In a case study performed by Randall Wells who is the leader of the longest study of dolphin population since 1970, it was discovered that there are three main factors that influence migration: Seasonal changes in prey location, predation pressure and reproductive requirements. (Wells, 1980). In the fall dolphins follow mullet fish when they migrate from the bays into the Gulf of Mexico to spawn. Dolphins experience the most predation pressure during the summer when

The bottlenose dolphin, genus Tursiops, is a cetacean renowned for its social intelligence, even being prescribed the status of non-human persons along with other intelligent species such as great apes. Both dolphins and primates share a number of attributes that have led to an evolutionary propensity for intelligence, including prolonged parental care, long lives, complex social bonds, and communicative cooperation (Reynolds et al., 2000). But unlike primates, dolphins lack opposable thumbs, as well as any sort of limb that is able to manipulate their environment capably. Dolphins evolved in an environment that is less affected by gravity and provides three-dimensional movement, but provides limited chemosensory and visual cues for orientation

Dolphins have been around a lot longer than humans. They originated about 50 million years ago. The most common dolphin, being the bottlenose dolphin, has been around for 15 million years. Surprisingly, dolphins originated from members of the cetaceans group. Cetaceans used to be land mammals but evolved into being aquatic mammals. In From Land to Water it stated, “The transition from land to water is documented by a series of intermediate fossils from India and Pakistan.” This research helps prove how they used to be land mammals but evolved to live in the ocean. Dolphins are one out of many aquatic mammals who need oxygen, but they need water in order to live. Believe it or not, dolphins are somewhat related to hippos, camels, deer, cattle, and giraffes. In From Land to Water, “ Many features that are

As a member of the Mammalian class, bottlenose dolphins are warm-blooded, or endotherms (Cavendish, 2002).

The Common Bottlenose dolphin is one of many dolphins in our world today. According to marinemammalsceince.org the scientific name for the common bottlenose dolphin is “Tursiops truncates”. Like many other mammals, this dolphin has been classified. According to San Francisco State University Department of Geography “the kingdom Tursiops truncatus belongs to is Animalia, the phylum to which they are grouped in is Chordata, and their class is Mammalia. The order in which they belong to is cetacean, the suborder is odontoceti, their family is delphinidae, and the genus is tursiops.” Overtime, everything experiences change, even Tursiops truncates. “The order Cetacean is further divided in two types known as the Odontoceti, or toothed whales, and the Mysticeti, or baleen whales” (Cadelinia 5).

Transition: After learning about a dolphin’s sense of communication, we can now build upon this information by examining their unique behavior.

There is something about dolphins that fascinates me. They are some of the most intelligent and beautiful animals that I have ever seen. Their faces are so cute that every time I look at a dolphin it looks like it is smiling at me and wants to tell me something. The noises they make represent some kind of language and it makes me wonder if they can really communicate. I also want to know what kind of feeling they have and whether they have emotions. This is why I chose to do this I-search project on dolphins; the different kinds of dolphins there are, the places that they can be found and their mental abilities.

Bottlenose dolphins are excellent swimmers. They can jump up to sixteen feet in the air. Three to seven miles per hour is their normal swimming speed, but they can reach speeds of eighteen to twenty-two miles per hour. Dolphins also porpoise, which is when a dolphin swims fast enough to repetitively come out of the water and back under the water in one swift movement. This uses less effort than swimming fast at the ocean’s surface. When dolphins swim in deep open water, they often dive. They dive