Pesticides, heavy metals, plastics, and other industrial and agricultural pollutants that do not disintegrate rapidly in the environment concentrate in predators such as dolphins. Dolphins are common in Greek mythology, and many coins from ancient Greece have been found which feature a man, a boy or a deity riding on the back of a dolphin. [176][177] Tião had suffered harassment by human visitors, including attempts to stick ice cream sticks down her blowhole. The study of about 900 Faroese children showed that prenatal exposure to methylmercury resulted in neuropsychological deficits at 7 years of age, This article is about the marine mammals. Most species are concentrated in temperate and tropical areas although they dwell from the equator to the subpolar regions. There are around forty species of dolphins all over the world. [36], Breathing involves expelling stale air from their blowhole, in an upward blast, which may be visible in cold air, followed by inhaling fresh air into the lungs. Dolphins have also been known to kill porpoises for reasons which are not fully understood, as porpoises generally do not share the same diet as dolphins and are therefore not competitors for food supplies. [113], Self-awareness is seen, by some, to be a sign of highly developed, abstract thinking. Dolphins can, however, establish strong social bonds; they will stay with injured or ill individuals, even helping them to breathe by bringing them to the surface if needed. Lessons from cleaner wrasse and other species." [68][73][74], Various species of dolphin have been known to engage in sexual behavior up to and including copulation with dolphins of other species. [192], There have been human health concerns associated with the consumption of dolphin meat in Japan after tests showed that dolphin meat contained high levels of mercury. Self-awareness, though not well-defined scientifically, is believed to be the precursor to more advanced processes like meta-cognitive reasoning (thinking about thinking) that are typical of humans. Most dolphins become sexually mature at between 5 and 8 years old. Facilities such as SeaWorld and the Georgia Aquarium are accredited by the AZA. Dolphins are highly social animals, often living in pods of up to a dozen individuals, though pod sizes and structures vary greatly between species and locations. These marine mammals occupy a wide range of different habitat types. [12], A group of dolphins is called a "school" or a "pod". Some river dolphins venture to explore the forests when the rainy season floods them. (cf Ino.) They can swim almost immediately, but do require the protection of the pod; in fact, young dolphins are typically nursed for the first two to three years of life and may stay with their mothers for up to eight years. [75] Male dolphins may also work together and attempt to herd females in estrus, keeping the females by their side by means of both physical aggression and intimidation, to increase their chances of reproductive success. The dolphins' reward is the fish that escape the nets.[83][84]. Several species have female-biased sexual dimorphism, with the females being larger than the males. [189] Dolphins evolved from land mammals whose legs were underneath their bodies. The Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis) only dwells in the waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Dolphin is a common name of aquatic mammals within the infraorder Cetacea. [48] Dolphins send out high frequency clicks from an organ known as a melon. Individual members then take turns plowing through the ball, feeding on the stunned fish. The wolphin is a fertile hybrid. [39], Dolphins' reproductive organs are located inside the body, with genital slits on the ventral (belly) side. The dolphin is said to be among the creatures which heralded the goddess' descent from the heavens and her mount, the Makara, is sometimes depicted as a dolphin.[158]. Dolphins give birth to a single calf once every one to six years and then feed their babies milk through their nipples. The clicks are directional and are for echolocation, often occurring in a short series called a click train. [2] The animal's name can therefore be interpreted as meaning "a 'fish' with a womb". The earliest campaigns with "dolphin safe" labels were initiated in the 1980s as a result of cooperation between marine activists and the major tuna companies, and involved decreasing incidental dolphin kills by up to 50% by changing the type of nets used to catch tuna. Dolphin is a common name of aquatic mammals within the infraorder Cetacea. A 2006 survey found no individuals of the Yangtze river dolphin, which now appears to be functionally extinct.[137]. Migration is a big part of life for some dolphins. [18] Other dolphin hybrids live in captivity around the world or have been reported in the wild, such as a bottlenose-Atlantic spotted hybrid. Furthermore, even gaping wounds restore in such a way that the animal's body shape is restored, and infection of such large wounds seems rare. [124] Some of the larger dolphin species, especially orcas (killer whales), may also prey on smaller dolphins, but this seems rare. [107] The neocortex of many species is home to elongated spindle neurons that, prior to 2007, were known only in hominids. [88] These signature whistles are developed during a dolphin's first year; it continues to maintain the same sound throughout its lifetime. Despite the controversial nature of the hunt resulting in international criticism, and the possible health risk that the often polluted meat causes, thousands of dolphins are caught in drive hunts each year. Around New Zealand, you will find the Hector’s Dolphins. [187] Reviews of this and other published dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) studies have found important methodological flaws and have concluded that there is no compelling scientific evidence that DAT is a legitimate therapy or that it affords more than fleeting mood improvement.[188]. [20], Dolphins are descendants of land-dwelling mammals of the artiodactyl order (even-toed ungulates). The habitats of dolphins are also very diverse. [149] There are comparatively few surviving myths of dolphins in Polynesian cultures, in spite of their maritime traditions and relevance of other marine animals such as sharks and seabirds; unlike these, they are more often perceived as food than as totemic symbols. Specifically one of the best-known species, the bottlenose dolphin lives in every ocean o… Dolphins feed largely on fish and squid, but a few, like the killer whale, feed on large mammals, like seals.

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