Uploaded January 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Dolphin
Subscribe youtube.com/c/EswaranIsai
Dolphin, any of the toothed whales belonging to the mammal family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) as well as the families Platanistidae and Iniidae, the two that contain the river dolphins. Of the nearly 40 species of dolphins in the Delphinidae, 6 are commonly called whales, including the killer whale and the pilot whales. The name dolphin is also applied to members of the fish genus Coryphaena (family Coryphaenidae).
Most dolphins are small, measuring less than 3 metres (10 feet) in length, and have spindle-shaped bodies, beaklike snouts (rostrums), and simple needlelike teeth. Some of these cetaceans are occasionally called porpoises, but scientists prefer to use this term as the common name for the six species in the family Phocoenidae, all of which differ from dolphins in having blunt snouts and spadelike teeth.
Dolphins are popularly noted for their grace, intelligence, playfulness, and friendliness to humans. The most widely recognized species are the common and bottlenose dolphins (Delphinus delphis and Tursiops truncatus, respectively). The bottlenose, characterized by a “built-in smile” formed by the curvature of its mouth, has become a familiar performer in oceanariums. It has also become the subject of scientific studies because of its intelligence and ability to communicate by using a range of sounds and ultrasonic pulses. It adapts to captivity better than the common dolphin, which is timid. In addition, the bottlenose dolphin has the longest social memory of any nonhuman species; several members of the species were able to recognize the unique whistles of individual dolphins they once associated with at least 20 years after becoming separated from them. Bottlenose dolphins have demonstrated the ability to recognize their reflections in several experiments, suggesting a degree of self-awareness. That capability has been observed only in higher primates and a few other animal species.
Dolphins can live in either fresh or salt water. Distributed in marine environments worldwide, they range from equatorial to subpolar waters and also can be found in many major river systems. The common and bottlenose dolphins are widely distributed in warm and temperate seas. They are swift swimmers; the bottlenose can attain speeds of nearly 30 km/hr (18.5 mph) in short bursts, and common dolphins are even faster. A number of species are attracted by moving ships and often accompany them, leaping alongside and sometimes riding the waves created by the ships’ bows. Some coastal species of oceanic dolphins spend considerable amounts of time in fresh water. Most river dolphins live in fresh water that may be several thousand kilometres from the sea, although some spend their lives in coastal waters. Dolphins are social, gathering in schools from five to several thousand. All are carnivorous, feeding on fish, squid, and other invertebrates.
Information regarding current population levels and trends remains elusive for many dolphin species. Although bottlenose dolphins are species of least concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), several dolphins are at risk of extinction. Dolphin species that the IUCN considers vulnerable or near threatened include the Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin (Sousa chinensis), the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the Australian snubfin dolphin (O. heinsohni). The most vulnerable dolphins include the Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and the Indus river dolphin (P. minor), which are classified as endangered species, and the Atlantic humpbacked dolphin (Sousa teuszii), which is classified as critically endangered.
#dolphin #dolphinfish
Dolphin
Subscribe youtube.com/c/EswaranIsai
Dolphin, any of the toothed whales belonging to the mammal family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) as well as the families Platanistidae and Iniidae, the two that contain the river dolphins. Of the nearly 40 species of dolphins in the Delphinidae, 6 are commonly called whales, including the killer whale and the pilot whales. The name dolphin is also applied to members of the fish genus Coryphaena (family Coryphaenidae).
Most dolphins are small, measuring less than 3 metres (10 feet) in length, and have spindle-shaped bodies, beaklike snouts (rostrums), and simple needlelike teeth. Some of these cetaceans are occasionally called porpoises, but scientists prefer to use this term as the common name for the six species in the family Phocoenidae, all of which differ from dolphins in having blunt snouts and spadelike teeth.
Dolphins are popularly noted for their grace, intelligence, playfulness, and friendliness to humans. The most widely recognized species are the common and bottlenose dolphins (Delphinus delphis and Tursiops truncatus, respectively). The bottlenose, characterized by a “built-in smile” formed by the curvature of its mouth, has become a familiar performer in oceanariums. It has also become the subject of scientific studies because of its intelligence and ability to communicate by using a range of sounds and ultrasonic pulses. It adapts to captivity better than the common dolphin, which is timid. In addition, the bottlenose dolphin has the longest social memory of any nonhuman species; several members of the species were able to recognize the unique whistles of individual dolphins they once associated with at least 20 years after becoming separated from them. Bottlenose dolphins have demonstrated the ability to recognize their reflections in several experiments, suggesting a degree of self-awareness. That capability has been observed only in higher primates and a few other animal species.
Dolphins can live in either fresh or salt water. Distributed in marine environments worldwide, they range from equatorial to subpolar waters and also can be found in many major river systems. The common and bottlenose dolphins are widely distributed in warm and temperate seas. They are swift swimmers; the bottlenose can attain speeds of nearly 30 km/hr (18.5 mph) in short bursts, and common dolphins are even faster. A number of species are attracted by moving ships and often accompany them, leaping alongside and sometimes riding the waves created by the ships’ bows. Some coastal species of oceanic dolphins spend considerable amounts of time in fresh water. Most river dolphins live in fresh water that may be several thousand kilometres from the sea, although some spend their lives in coastal waters. Dolphins are social, gathering in schools from five to several thousand. All are carnivorous, feeding on fish, squid, and other invertebrates.
Information regarding current population levels and trends remains elusive for many dolphin species. Although bottlenose dolphins are species of least concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), several dolphins are at risk of extinction. Dolphin species that the IUCN considers vulnerable or near threatened include the Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin (Sousa chinensis), the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the Australian snubfin dolphin (O. heinsohni). The most vulnerable dolphins include the Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and the Indus river dolphin (P. minor), which are classified as endangered species, and the Atlantic humpbacked dolphin (Sousa teuszii), which is classified as critically endangered.
#dolphin #dolphinfish
