Bottlenose Dolphins: A Very Brief History Of Dolphins

The evolutionary path of a whale is a fascinating process of a terrestrial mammal that evolves into a marine mammal. This evolutionary path started with one of the earliest ancestors called “Pakicetus”. A Pakicetus was discovered to be a land animal with four legs that had teeth as carnivores. It skull structure was long, but this organism didn’t look like any marine animal. The scientist then discovered that on the skull’s ear region it was surrounded by a bony wall. This feature on an organism only was distinct from one type of species, scientist discovered that this animal “Pakicetus” was an ancestor of a whale. By comparing the early whales Pakicetus to the next generation of ancestors Ambulocetus, the Ambulocetus whale looks more like

The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.

The eating habits of the dolphin can vary by habitat, location and the food accessibility and availability. Bottlenose dolphins may eat many various aquatic organisms. Usually bottlenose dolphins eat fish and crustaceans. They also may eat octopus, mackerel, cod, herring, mullet, squid and eels, along with shrimp. The adult dolphins take in about four to five percent of their body weight in food each day! The average bottlenose dolphin will consume seven to ten pounds of food a day. Of course, the male will eat more than the female. A nursing mother will eat more than the standard dolphins; she takes in about eight percent of her body weight. When hunting for food dolphins may corner the prey in shallow water. The bottlenose dolphin will usually swallow the prey's head first. For larger fish, such as the impressive hammerhead shark, several bottlenose dolphins will kick it out of the water with their flukes. This injures and stuns the large fish and the

In addition to this nature, they are capable of advanced communication skills that allow them to teach new tactics they have learned to their fellow dolphins. I am also the same as a Bottlenose Dolphin when it comes to efficient communication skills.. My style of learning requires me to go through an exhaustive process of trial and error until I have efficiently learned what I have desired to learn. With the knowledge that I have gained, I have been able to ascend to higher levels of academic studies with the ability to use my acquired thinking and comprehension skills which help to aid me in everyday life. However, I am not one to hoard any information that I have managed to learn. I will share any knowledge that I know with my fellow peers around me so that I may aid them throughout life just like a Bottlenose

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

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.

Their head has a very narrow shape, even at the top of the melon. They also have 3 colors on their body, the skin on the dorsal area has a grey color down to the sides where it has a sharp change in color to a lighter grey. The lower part of the body is so white it looks pinkish. They measure between 1.29 and 2.35 meters in length and its weight range is between 23 and 79 kilograms. The name “Spinner” comes from their above water actions. They can leap into the air and make as many seven complete spins before diving back into the ocean. The power of the spin comes from the huge acceleration under the water and the torque of the tail just as the dolphin breaks the surface. Female spinner dolphins reach sexual maturity about 4-7 years, males about 7-10 years. Calves are nursed for 1-2 years. They approximately weigh around 130 to 170 lbs. Spinner dolphin inhabits most tropical waters of the world, and can also occur in sub tropical and warm temperate waters. They are very energetic in the ocean and out of the ocean. Head slaps acoustical messages that often are intended to get the attention of other dolphins. Head slaps in some cases are used to indicate to the pod the direction of travel desired by the slapper.

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

The dolphin and I both have roughly the same body type, sort of skinny but built and compact. We both have body types that allow us to fly through the water and swim really fast. We’re both supposed to be about 5’10 to 6 feet long. The spinner dolphin has a very strong lower body which allows it to perform large spinning tricks in mid-air, it can spin roughly 2-5.5 times in one jump. The most acrobatic dolphin, that’s something we don’t have In common.

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

The bottlenose dolphin has a broad diet that varies depending on its water depth. Those that live inshore typically feed on fish and other invertebrates located near the shoreline. Deepwater, bottlenose dolphins, on the other hand, typically feed on squid and fish in pelagic zones. Furthermore, bottlenose dolphins have differing diets depending on their geographic location. Bottlenose dolphins along the U.S. Atlantic Coast typically feed on the following: atlantic croacker (micropogonias undulatas), spot fish (Leistomos xanthurus), and silver perch (Bairiella chrysoura), whereas those found in South Africa typically feed on: african massbankers (Trachurus delagoae), olive grunters (Pomadasys olivaceus), and pandora (Pagellus bellotti). The

Delphinus delphis, or Short-Beaked Common Dolphin, is a toothed whale prevelent throughout the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Their feeding ecology and diet has received significant attention in the past few decades along the Pacific coast and Northeastern Atlantic coast. Within the Northwest Atlantic, stomach contents of several Common Dolphins have been examined and the squid beaks and otoliths found have been identified in work done by James _____ up until [YEAR], however the data remains unpublished.

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.