Dolphins

. What does the dolphin look like?

o Like a whale but with smaller flukes

o Has a dorsal fin on the top of its body

o Has a pair of wide, flat pectoral flippers on its underside which it uses to swim

o Has a blowhole at the top of its head

o Has a beak (nose) that sticks out and is rounded at the end

o The line of its jaw (mouth) curves upward making it look like the dolphin is smiling

o Has sharp, conical-shaped teeth which it uses to grasp food

o The Bottlenose dolphin's body is blue-gray or gray-brown and its skin feels smooth like a rubber inner tube

o Its belly (stomach) is off-white or light gray

o It is about 12-15 feet long as an adult

2. What does a dolphin need to live (habitat, diet, protection from predators, pods)?

o Has excellent vision in and out of the water

o Lives in temperate (warm) or tropical waters like the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea

o Some live in coastal waters and others live further offshore in deeper, cooler waters

o May travel in pods on a seasonal basis to reach warmer water temperatures

o Eats different kinds of fish, squid, and shrimp

o Does not chew fish, but swallows them whole; a dolphin may use its flukes to stun larger fish before swallowing them

o Dolphins are mammals and breathe air just as humans do, so they must come to the surface of the ocean to breathe

o Dolphins sleep about 8 hours a day by shutting down half of their brain and alternating sides so they can come to the surface to breathe as they slowly swim along

o A thick layer of blubber just underneath the skin serves as insulation keeping the dolphin warm in the ocean depths

o The dolphin's body is designed to allow it to dive for 8-10 minutes before coming up for air

o The dolphin's predators are some types of sharks, orcas, and also