110 Amazing Facts About Dolphins: Intelligent Marine Mammals

Dolphins are one of the most fascinating and beloved marine mammals on the planet. With their intelligence, social behavior, and playful nature, they have captured the hearts and minds of people worldwide. In this article, we'll dive into 110 amazing facts about dolphins that will leave you in awe of these incredible creatures. From their unique abilities to their importance in the ecosystem, there is much to discover about these intelligent marine mammals.

The 110 amazing facts about dolphins that we'll explore in this article cover a wide range of topics. We'll delve into their physical characteristics, their communication skills, and their behavior in the wild. We'll also examine their social structure, their feeding habits, and their role in the marine ecosystem. By the end of this article, you'll have a newfound appreciation for these remarkable creatures and their place in the world.

110 Amazing Facts About Dolphins: Intelligent Marine Mammals

• Dolphins call out to each other by their names.
• Dolphins usually travel in pods of up to 1,000 individuals.
• Dolphins are not monogamous.
• Dolphins usually swim between 3 and 8 miles per hour (4.8-12.8 kilometers per hour), but their top speed is around 20 miles per hour (32 kilometers per hour).
• A dolphin can travel up to 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) per day.
• Dolphins not only know, but they also enjoy catching and surfing waves like humans do.
• Scientists have not yet understood why dolphins jump out of the water - some of them leap over 20 feet (six meters) in the air.
• The coat of arms of Anguilla and Romania feature dolphins.
• Dolphins have no sense of smell and do not have a good sense of taste.
• Dolphins can use their noses to kill sharks.
• Dolphins have smooth skin to reduce drag while swimming - their outer skin layer can regenerate in only two hours.
• Dolphins have few enemies - only the great white shark, tiger shark, dusky shark, and the bull shark can be considered serious threats.
• Dolphins only bite if they're furious, angry, frustrated, anxious, or afraid.
• Dolphins are trained by military forces to spot mines and find lost humans.
• Japan, Peru, Solomon Islands, and the Faroe Islands are known for killing dolphins for human consumption.
• A group of dolphins is named a "school." Female dolphins are "cows," male dolphins are "bulls," and juveniles are "calves".
• According to several animal welfare organizations, there are around 3,000 dolphins in captivity worldwide.
• The most famous movies about dolphins are "Flipper," "The Day of the Dolphin," "Zeus and Roxanne," "The Cove," and "Dolphin Tale".
• In 2010, director Greg Huglin released a 20-minute film called "Surfing Dolphins," featuring some of the world's finest wave riding performers.
• Nana and Nellie are the longest-living dolphins on record. They lived 42 and 61 years, respectively.
• Dolphins live in relatively shallow waters, but they can dive up to 900 feet (274 meters).
• Dolphins are piscivores and eat around 35 pounds (15.8 kilograms) of fish every day, including squid and crustaceans.
• Dolphins don't drink water because they get it from the food they eat.
• Although dolphins have teeth, they swallow food without chewing it.
• Dolphins have a skeleton with light, highly flexible, yet weaker bones compared with land animals.
• Dolphin teeth, not ears, pick up the echoes that bounce back from echolocation.
• Each dolphin’s dorsal fin is unique. No two are alike, just like snowflakes or fingerprints. This can be very useful in identification.
• Dolphins can hold their breath for long periods of time, depending on the species, with anywhere from 20 seconds to 30 minutes being recorded.
• Dolphins give birth to their young tail first. They’re the only mammals known to do this.
• Dolphin eyes can move separately from one other. This can be extremely useful in observing their surroundings, especially when imminent danger is present.
• There is an organ called a “melon” in a dolphin’s head that’s responsible for those ever-so-useful echolocation sounds.
• Dolphins sleep eight hours per day and spend the rest of the day swimming.
• Dolphins sleep with only one brain hemisphere at a time, in slow-wave sleep, to maintain enough consciousness to breathe and to watch for possible predators.
• During the gestation period, female dolphins carry one baby at a time, but sometimes they may deliver twins.
• After giving birth, female dolphins carry their calves for between 11 and 18 months.
• Dolphin mothers feed their babies with extremely rich and fat milk.
• The average life expectancy of a dolphin is 25 years, but they can live up to 50.
• Dolphins are highly intelligent marine creatures - they can learn, play, socialize, and grieve just like humans.
• Bottlenose dolphins are super swimmers, gliding through the water using their curved dorsal fin on their back, a powerful tail, and pointed flippers. They can reach speeds over 30km an hour and dive as deep as 250m below the surface!
• These cool creatures are awesome acrobats, too, and can be seen flipping (or “breaching“) out of the water. In fact, they can launch themselves up to five meters out of the water before crashing back down with a splash! There are different theories as to why they do this – it could be to get a better view of things in the distance, clean parasites off their bodies, communicate with other pods, or just for good fun!
• Dolphins are extremely playful and curious animals. They play-fight with each other and also play with seaweed. They have also been known to play with other animals such as dogs.
• Dolphins sleep by resting one side of the brain at a time. This allows them to continue rising to the surface for air and to keep an eye open to watch out for predators.
• Dolphins use echolocation to find food and navigate. This is a natural version of radar.
• The “killer whale”, or Orca, is actually a dolphin. It is known as a “killer whale” because it is a whale killer, not because it is a whale that kills.
• Dolphins can jump as high as 20 feet out of the water.
• Dolphins evolved from four-legged terrestrial animals that started spending more time in the water around 50 million years ago.
• Thankfully, bottlenose dolphins are not classed as endangered. However, illegal hunting, fishing nets, and pollution pose threats to these incredible creatures.
• Dolphins are extraordinarily intelligent animals who also display culture, something which was long believed to be unique to humans (although now recognized in various species).
• Dolphins have been observed teaching young how to use tools. They cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging.
• Dolphins have several highly developed forms of communication. They have a “signature whistle” which allows other individuals to recognize them.
• Dolphins are altruistic animals. They are known to stay and help injured individuals, even helping them to the surface to breathe. Their compassion also extends across the species-barrier. There are many accounts of dolphins helping humans and even whales.
• Although dolphins have lungs and breathe like humans, they can't live on land because they become dehydrated and overheat out of the water.
• Dolphins are altruistic individuals and tend to stay with ill or injured individuals for prolonged periods of time.
• Dolphins communicate through whistles, clicks, and other nonverbal forms of communication.
• India, Hungary, Costa Rica, and Chile have declared dolphins "non-human persons," meaning that they can't be captured and used for entertainment purposes, for example, in dolphinariums.
• The desert city of Petra, established as early as 312 BC in Jordan, has images of dolphins carved in the rocks.
• While we often think of dolphins as saltwater creatures, there are actually five species of dolphins that live only in freshwater rivers.
• When sleeping, half of a dolphin’s brain goes to sleep while the other half stays awake. This allows the dolphin to continue breathing in order to keep from drowning.
• Dolphins have two stomachs: One for storage and one for digestion.
• It is common for dolphin pods to care for their injured, old and sick members. There are even stories of dolphins coming to the aid of humans in dire times of need.
• Dolphins have names! They use specific individual whistles in order to identify each other.
• The dolphins you see in South Walton are bottlenose dolphins. They live in tropical and temperate waters and can even be found in bays and estuaries.
• Dolphins are carnivores, and they don’t chew their food. (Sorry, mullet!)
• Captivity absolutely shortens a dolphin’s lifespan but living in the wild, a bottlenose dolphin can live 40 years or more.
• Dolphins use echolocation, like bats. They make sounds that bounce off distant objects and create an echo. Listening for that echo reveals to them precisely where everything is.
• Dolphins are mammals. They’re warm-blooded, have hair when they’re first born, breathe air through a blowhole, give birth to live young, and their babies drink milk from mom.
• Dolphins are very social animals, generally living in pods of two to 40 dolphins. Pods of up to 100 dolphins are not uncommon! This living arrangement is important in hunting, mating, and defense against predators.
• The largest type of dolphin is the “killer whale” or orca. Ironically, despite its “killer” title, there has never been a single documented human death in history caused by an orca… except an orca held in captivity.
• These beautiful creatures have a short thick beak (as their name suggests!) and a curved mouth, giving the appearance that they are always smiling. They are usually grey in color and measure around two to four meters in length.
• Social creatures, bottlenose dolphins travel in groups, called “pods“, of around 10-15. In these groups, they play and hunt together, as well as cooperate to raise young dolphin calves and help each other.
• Although they live underwater, the bottlenose dolphin must come up to the surface to breathe air. It breathes through what”s called a “blowhole“, a hole at the top of its head. These clever creatures can open this hole when inhaling and exhaling out of the water, and close it when below the ocean surface. They can hold their breath underwater for around seven minutes.
• Bottlenose dolphins are kings of communication! They send each other messages in different ways – they squeak and whistle and also use body language, leaping out of the water, snapping their jaws, and even butting heads!
• Carnivores, our finned friends eat mostly fish, but will also eat crustaceans such as shrimp and squid, too.
• Dolphins are incredibly social animals. They live in groups and cooperate with each other to get food and in raising offspring (calves).
• The name "dolphin" comes from the Greek words "delphis" and "delphus," meaning "fish with a womb".
• There are around 40 different species of dolphins swimming in the oceans of the world.
• Dolphins range in size from 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) to 31 feet (9.4 meters) long and weigh between 110 pounds (50 kilograms) and 10 tonnes, depending on the type of animal and species.
• The killer whale is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family.
• The most common species - the bottlenose dolphin - inhabits all regions of the planet, except for the Antarctic and Arctic oceans.
• The differences between dolphins and porpoises can be found in their body shapes, fins, and faces.
• Dolphins are "equipped" with highly effective healing processes, which means that they don't hemorrhage to death easily.
• Dolphins are believed to have the longest memory in the animal kingdom.
• Dolphins' hearing system is so sophisticated and advanced that even a blind individual can survive.

In conclusion, the 110 amazing facts about dolphins have shed light on the fascinating world of these intelligent marine mammals. From their intricate social behavior to their remarkable physical abilities, dolphins continue to capture the imagination of people around the world. As we continue to learn more about these creatures, it's important that we work to protect their habitats and ensure their survival for future generations.

By understanding and appreciating dolphins and their role in the marine ecosystem, we can work towards creating a more sustainable and harmonious world. Whether you're a scientist, a researcher, or simply an animal lover, there is much to discover and admire about these incredible creatures. So, the next time you see a dolphin, take a moment to appreciate the wonder and beauty of these intelligent marine mammals.