The word “Dolphin” originated in Ancient Greek, meaning “Womb”; in modern times, it is often referred to as a “Sea pig”. Dolphins are scientifically called “Odontoceti”. Dolphins are fascinating aquatic and beloved mammals. They are incredibly smart, friendly, acrobatic, playful behavior, and highly social Creatures. Dolphins are extremely intelligent animals on the earth.
Albert Einstein remarked that “Dolphins possess a higher level of intelligence than humans due to their greater propensity for play.”. Dolphins are the ones who entertain kids as well as adults. Humans train dolphins to perform various movements in Dolphin shows. Approximately, 42 distinct dolphin species exist. They are warm-blooded and found in oceans and rivers throughout the globe. Let’s cover some Super amazing fun facts about Dolphins.
1- Extremely Intelligent:
Dolphins mostly eat fish and other marine life. They do not chew their food like humans do. However, they use their teeth to grip their prey and swallow it whole. Another wonderful fact about dolphins is that they have two stomachs. One they use for food storage and another one they use for digestion.
2- Highly Social Beings:
Dolphins are highly social animals. They live together in a group known as a Pod of around 10–15 members, where they interact with each other, travel, swim, hunt food, protect others, and play together. A large group of dolphins called “super pods” with around 1000 or more members. These super pods usually form when food is abundant.
3- Shut Down Only Half the Brain:
Dolphins shut down only half of their brain when they sleep. This particular sleep pattern is referred to as unihemispheric sleep. (Sleep one half of the brain at a time). One part they use to sleep. Another part of their brain is awake and alert, used to control their breathing and also to watch out for possible predators while they rest.
4- Conscious Breathers:
They don’t have gills like fish do to extract oxygen from water. Dolphins are mammals, and they have lungs to breathe in air. They breathe through a hole called a “blowhole” and have a blowhole at the top of their head. When they come to the surface of the water the blowhole opens allowing them to breathe, and when they dive underwater the blowhole closes. They can hold their breath underwater approx for 8 to 10 minutes.
5- Super Amazing Divers:
Dolphins are considered slow swimmers but are better swimmers than humans. They can swim three times faster than humans. Dolphins are best known for being amazing divers. They can dive more than 1000 feet deep underwater.
6- Wonderful Memory:
Another mind-boggling fact about dolphins is that they have long-lasting memories. They have the longest social memory capability of any non-human creature. According to a study, even after 20 years of separation, dolphins can recognize the whistles of former companions.
7- Communication And Behavior:
Dolphins can communicate with each other through a series of clicks, whistles, squeaks, and other non-verbal ways of communication. Dolphins show emotions. They display sadness, joy, and aggression. Their offspring learn from them. Young dolphins learn how to hunt, as well as behavior, from their mother and pomades.
8- Regenerate Their Skin:
Another fascinating fact about dolphins is that they have different and unique skin textures. Dolphin skin is smooth, and rubbery and regenerates every two hours, which is helpful for swimming and underwater diving.
9- Stick With Mother For Long:
Male dolphins are called bulls, female dolphins are called cows and the young one is known as calves. Male dolphins are usually larger than female dolphins. Calves usually stick with their mother for a long. They stay with their mother for up to 3 years to 8 years.
10- Well-Developed Sense:
Dolphins have no sense of smell and sense of taste. They have an amazing and advanced sense of hearing. Like bats, they use echolocation to hunt food and objects.
11- Dolphin’s Life Expectancy:
Dolphins’ life expectancy depends on their species and their environment. The average life expectancy is around 28–29 years.
Bottom Line:
Dolphins are one of the most magnificent mammals on the planet. Everyone loves them, whether kids or adults. Hope all the above fascinating facts will boost your information. Kindly share these with others and encourage them to learn more about Dolphins.