Animals & Science

Most people find dolphins engaging, sociable, funny and clever. They are also extremely efficient hunters, feeding on everything from tiny shrimp to great white sharks. The dolphin diet depends on...

In addition to a structured dolphin swim, some aquarium facilities may offer an unstructured or "natural" swim. If you plan to participate in an unstructured dolphin swim, be prepared to make the...

According to dolphinsworld.com, debate continues in scientific circles on the reasons why dolphins jump out of the water. One of the most commonly mentioned reasons is that dolphins leap out of...

Dolphins are important to humans in that they are great indicators for what is going on in the ocean's waters. Discover more about the connection between humans and dolphins over the years with...

The Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphins have been clocked swimming at about 25 miles per hour, which is a speed that allows them to catch their prey. Learn about the amazing speed, strength and agility...

Dolphins live in a pod with a social structure, meaning that they have little families, dominant males, mature females and sub-adults that occasionally break up the social structure. Discover how...

Dolphins can jump extremely high, and some dolphins have been known to jump more than 20 feet high. Find out how a dolphin's speed and agility can help it to jump to great heights with help from...

There are several species of small dolphins, including Chilean dolphins, that are 4 feet long, as well as some of the freshwater species of dolphins. Discover the different lengths and weights of...

Dolphins make noise primarily through their blow hole, which is the area through which dolphins breathe air. Find out how some dolphins have been conditioned to create over 12 different vocal...

In order to study dolphins, a person will have to be a marine mammal trainer, which can be a difficult position to obtain. Find out why marine animal trainers have to be great swimmers, in...

The prey of dolphins is a variety of fish, as fish make up the primary parts of their diet. Discover how sharks can be considered to be the only predator that a dolphin has to worry about with...

Dolphins will fight sharks that are attacking them through a group effort that involves communication and running into the side of the shark. Find out how a dolphin's intelligence can help it when...

Dolphins are mammals because they give live birth, they have hair and they breathe air, thus sharing similar characteristics to humans. Learn about the gestation period of dolphins, which is...

There are more than 40 species of dolphins, including bay dolphins, bottle-nosed dolphins, river dolphins and killer whales. Find out how many different dolphins have unique characteristics with...

The average lifespan of a dolphin is about 25 years, but dolphins have been known to live much longer under proper care. Find out how veterinarians can increase the lifespan of a dolphin with help...

Dolphins live all over the world, in different oceans, in freshwater, in saltwater, in cold water and in warm water. Learn about dolphins that live in shallow water with help from an aquarium's...

The primary differences between dolphins and porpoises are anatomical, such as the shape of their teeth, the structure of their jaw and the waters they inhabit. Discover how porpoises tend to be...

Dolphins have no need to chew their food, because time dictates that they consume fish quickly so that there is no risk of the fish swimming away. Find out how evolutionary design has caused...

Dolphins are one of the most intelligent species in the animal kingdom, and one example of their intelligence can be found in their use of echolocation. Discover how dolphins use echolocation to...

Dolphins are intelligent marine mammals that inhabit every ocean of the world and are very closely related to whales and porpoises. There are 33 known species of marine dolphins and another four...

Dolphins are a type of marine mammal, with over 40 different types existing in various parts of the world. They are highly intelligent creatures who have attracted our attention because of their...

When dolphins sleep, they rest half of their brain at a time, and can often be found floating on the surface or laying on the bottom of the water. Identify a sleeping dolphin by its level of...

Dolphins can be trained to do a limitless number of tricks, including jumping, swimming very fast, playing basketball and painting pictures. Train dolphins to do tricks through positive...

While dolphins are very smart, social animals, they are not considered to be smarter than humans because they do not have the reasoning abilities that humans possess. Discover how dolphins are...

Communication between man and dolphins occurs with the use of hand signals, positive reinforcement and extended training periods. Use a whistle or fish to show a dolphin that it is behaving...

Rough-toothed dolphins live in warm, temperate waters, have ridges on their teeth, and are considered to be very social, intelligent animals. Find rough-toothed dolphins in deep waters with advice...

Dolphins in captivity often have medical issues that prevent them from being returned to the wild. They are cared for by veterinarians and trainers in order to educate the public. Find out more...

Dolphins are mammals because they breathe air, they bear live young, and baby dolphins drink milk and have hair. Find out why dolphins are not fish because they do not have gills with information...

Dolphins are so playful because they are very social animals, and they use play to learn how to hunt. Learn how dolphins will often play with each other, seaweed and pieces of driftwood with...

Dolphins jump out of the water to avoid predators, to get oriented above the water and to take breaths. Dolphins are often trained to jump for entertainment when in captivity. Get more information...

Dolphins do not have gills because they are not fish. They use a blow hole that is connected to lungs to breath. Learn more about how dolphins breathe with information from a dolphin behavioral...

We have all seen dolphins performing tricks in a pool such as jumping through hoops held in the air by their trainers, retrieving rings or balancing a beach ball on their noses. But, just how...

Comparing the intelligence of different species is difficult. Each species requires different skills for survival. For example, diving and swimming are essential skills for all dolphins, but not...

Hawaii is still the number one destination in the world for those seeking paradise. With a lush, rich environment and a booming tourist industry, Hawaii welcomes visitors from all around the world...

A group of whales is called a pod. Although they are not actual whales, dolphins, orcas and pilot whale groups are also called pods. Pods refer to more than two whales in a group--otherwise they...

Dolphins are aquatic mammals that are members of the whale family, with many different species living in the world's oceans and seas. Dolphins have a pair of lungs and breathe through a blowhole...

Dolphins have only one stomach, but it is compartmentalized into three sections. These compartments allow a dolphin to consume a great deal of food quickly and digest it later, in case they are...

Dolphins typically live from about 17 to about 25 years, with no significant difference between dolphins in captivity and those in the wild. Dolphins can live to about 50 years old, and...

Animal trainers at aquariums and marine parks train dolphins to jump anywhere from 15 to 30 feet above the water to put on a show for audiences. Dolphins jump in the wild also. Biologists have...

Dolphins are some of the friendliest creatures in the ocean, but if they ever bite you with their large jaw full of teeth, they could actually tear you apart. Dolphins grow a large amount of teeth...

Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals that live in the ocean. Like all mammals they breathe air into their lungs, are warm-blooded, give birth to live young which they then nurse, and...

Dolphins do not hibernate and could not hibernate under water, because they need to breathe at least every 30 minutes and must rise to the surface to do so. Dolphins also do not migrate as a...

Dolphins have shown some practical value to humans. They do so by being of use in Naval operations and providing entertainment at marine parks. The subject of captive dolphins stirs up controversy...

The three smallest of the 32 oceanic species of dolphins are the Chilean, Commerson's and Hector's. In addition, the freshwater tucuxi dolphin is the smallest dolphin of all. These dolphins all...

All dolphins are carnivores, eating fish and squid. Different species of dolphins focus on different foods and they have a variety of hunting styles. Some dolphins eat crustaceans such as...

Hearing is the most important sense for dolphins and is the main sense they use to find food, to navigate and to interact with other dolphins. In addition, dolphins can emit sound waves which...

Swimming with dolphins is a lifetime dream for many people, one with a relatively low risk. The few reports made of injuries inflicted on people by dolphins typically involve broken bones caused...

Since dolphins need to breathe, they sleep along the surface of the water or rise to the surface occasionally while resting along the bottom of a shallow area. Their sleeping pattern is very...

Dolphins can live about 50 years at the outside. For reasons unclear to scientists, they usually have a lifespan of only about half that, even when living in marine parks and zoos with excellent...

Dolphins are members of the whale family, classified as toothed whales. People do not generally lump dolphins in with the much larger whales, but they have striking similarities. They are both...