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Fascinating Facts About Dolphins
by Joshua Plansden
http://www.adolphinsfan.com

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.

If you happen to experience dolphins from close ranges, then
you will be aware of their unique characteristics for which
they are famous. Dolphins are cetaceans like the whales and
are placed along with whales in the group called
odontocetes, since they have teeth. However, some Whales do
not have teeth for feeding and are placed under the group
mysticetes.

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.

Fifty-seven different species of dolphin make up the
world's population today. Dolphins have sleek bodies and
their noses, called "rostrum", are long and beak-like. Many
of us think that dolphins and porpoises are related, when
in fact they are not. One thing that makes them different
is their teeth. As mentioned the dolphin's are cone shaped
and the porpoise have teeth that look more like spades.
This enables them to dig for food among rock. The other
major difference is the fact that porpoise are able to live
in water that's colder than a dolphin can even tolerate.

One of the most common and well known species of dolphins is
the Orca, also known as the killer whale. This large dolphin
is considered to be fearless in the water, dominating the
list of sea animals that people think of when they think of
ferocious creatures.

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 and travel together in what is called a "pod".
It is the female dolphins that are the ones that do most of
the interacting with the young dolphins, while the males
play a more aloof part in the parenting process.

The dolphin continues to be one of the most fascinating
animals in the world. This has a large part to do with its
intelligence and incredible curiosity. These animals love to
interact with man whenever they can, chirping in their
native dolphin tongue about events in the water that we'll
never understand.

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