Dolphins are one of the most beautiful animals in the word. Dolphins are mammals and are part of the Delphinidae family. This family contains various highly intelligent aquatic mammals. The name dolphin refers to the species that a have a beak like snout and a slender streamline body which helps them to swim at high speeds. Some species can swim up to speeds of 35 mph. Dolphins have a rubbery feeling skin that is hairless; this helps them swim through the water with little resistance. Their skin is very sensitive and has no protection from bumps or bruises. This is because the outer layer is made up entirely live cells. Since the outer layer is made up out of live cells it is shed every two hours to keep the cells fresh. Dolphins use their flukes to swim through the water by beating the flukes up and down. Men have studied dolphin’s flukes on a dolphin to improve the effectiveness of submarine and boat propellers. The feeding habits of a dolphin vary; it depends on what is available at the time. A simple meal contains of small fish or squid. Many have to go where the food is and look to find their food. Dolphins use their teeth to catch the food, yet they do not use their teeth to eat the food because they swallow it hole. Dolphins do not have the best eyesight. They rely on echolocation to help them get where they are going. Echolocation is the use of using sounds to see what is going on up ahead. They make a clicking noise, which is used to find if objects are up ahead. This is because if the noise bounce back they know that there is an object up ahead. They also use this for communicating with other dolphins. Dolphins are found in many different parts of the world in various oceans and even in some freshwater rivers in Asia, Africa, and South America. The river dolphins are in danger of extinction because of pollution and dams. The main place to see dolphins is in the warm waters of the pacific area. The main dolphins seen are the White-bellied dolphins and the Bottle-nosed dolphins. The most common dolphin can be found in all temperatures and tropical sees. This dolphin is dark above, white below, and has bands of gray white and yellow on the sides. Dolphins sleep in a semi-alert. This is because they have to protect themselves for the dangers of people and other animals they do this by resting one side of their brain at a time. Dolphins usually stay in-groups of twenty when they are in the coastal areas. When they are out in the sea they are usually in bigger groups. This is because dolphins help each other. They communicate with one another and when one dolphin is sick or injured they help out that dolphin as much as they can. They also work as teams if danger is near by. Dolphins are very intelligent and can be taught to do many different tricks. Maybe one of the most dangers a dolphin has is a human. This is because of the ways of tuna fishing. Fishermen were aware of the fact that schools of dolphins and tuna move together. Tuna seem to follow dolphins very closely. Fisherman used to put down nets to catch the tuna, but they would also catch the dolphins. They would bring up the tuna and the dolphins in the nets. They then would separate the tuna from the dolphins and through back the dolphins no matter if they were injured or dead. This was not very good for the dolphins so the government has now stepped in and the dolphins are now safe. Dolphins may be neat to look at when you are out in the water and they are swimming freely but they shouldn’t be bothered. These dolphins should be left alone; many people are feeding the dolphins junk food and swimming with them, which puts the dolphins in danger. The dolphins are eating food that they are not used to and when they have their babies the babies are dying. Many studies have proven that they are dying because of malnutrition the food that they are getting is not healthy for them to grow. Dolphins are loved all over the world. Hopefully they will be here for along time. People should stop hurting dolphins and let them do what they want freely.

Bibliography

Connor, Richard “The Lives of Whales and Dolphins” Henry Holt and Company New York, New York 1994 Cousteau, Jacques-Yves and Diole, Philippe “Dolphins” Federal Republic of Germany 1975 Encyclopedia Britannica CD ROM Seideman, David “Swimming With Trouble”Audubon September-October 1997 pg.76

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