Learn all about the dolphin
 

Posted by admin April 19, 2013, Category: Animals, Science, Behavior, Curiosities 196
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Common name: Common Dolphin

Scientific name: Delphinus delphis

Geographical distribution: Steppe-covered trees and bushes, known as African savannas.

There is fish: Everyone thinks that the dolphin is a fish, but it is not. It is a mammal, as well as whale. Natural Habitat: The oceans and seas of the world - near or far from continents. In Brazil, can be seen along the entire coast, from the Northeast to Rio Grande do Sul

Eating habits: Eat fish and squid.

Size: From 1.5 to 3.5 meters long.

Weight: Can weigh up to 110 kg.

Gestation period: Hard 10-11 months.

Puppies: They are born with a little less than 1 meter and are breastfed for at least 14 months. The female has a calf every 2 or 3 years.

Average life time: 20 to 35 years.

Against Extinction: The dolphin fishing has been prohibited since 1988.

     Curiosities:

Dolphins live in groups that can reach thousands of animals among those who live in the ocean. On the coast, you can see up to 500 dolphins together.

Dive up to 300 meters deep and can be up to 8 minutes underwater. But these animals become docile most of the time, even on the surface of the water, following the boats.

Besides this type, there are other 36. It is common for the common dolphin is confused with the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba).

They are agile, fast and acrobats. Jump and swim in the bow of boats. Vocalizations include several clicks and whistles. It is known that the common dolphin can dive up to 280 meters, remaining underwater for about 8 minutes. Then he has to climb to breathe.


 facts about dolphins

• For the dolphins, breathing is a voluntary act, such as occurs with humans.
• dolphins sleep with only half of the brain at a time.
• Dolphins can communicate between them with different sounds, also using dance and jumps to communicate.
• If a dolphin is dying, other dolphins from your group come to help him, leaning with all their bodies, bringing the sick dolphin to the surface to breathe and try to recover this.
• The dolphin is the only irrational animal that has sex for pleasure only.
• The dolphins come to the surface every 5-8 minutes to breathe through the blowhole.
• dolphins eat less in the summer than in the winter because the winter require more fat because of the time and temperature of the water.
• Dolphins when they sleep, they sleep with one eye open and one closed. The enclosed is the side that corresponds to the side in which the brain is asleep.
• It is thought that the friendship that dolphins are peculiar to humans, is a timely attempt to connect with us.
• Dolphins have a way to swim feature, as if they were riding the waves. This is because being a mammal needs to rise to the surface to breathe.


The dolphin became famous for his psyche developed. In general presents a face weevil. Shows a remarkable
sympathy for the man. Forms hydrodynamic allow dolphins swim very quickly. Furthermore, the structure of the skin causes a displacement laminar water without any vortex.

To ward off saboteurs Bay Conranh during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy placed sentinels unusual - Dolphins - beyond what has always trained orcas to recover lost torpedoes. Dolphins, smart and very agile, are valuable aids underwater, however, the detailed information of your training and the role played by them remains secret.

Dolphins can hold two conversations at once. Hiss and clicks give independent both ways simultaneously, each dolphin has a peculiar whistle, which is like your "signature", and identifies compared to other gang members.Can also stun prey with intent gunfire, and use sonar to locate objects in their environment.



 A dolphin-nose-to-bottle "served" in the Navy as an escort for 24 years between 1888 and 1912. Pelorus Jack was called and went to meet the boats so they entered the Strait of Pelorus, New Zealand, accompanying them during 10km. The sailors thought he wanted to make sure they arrived safely to port.
In the legend ...
Dolphins are very ... friendly? The shapeof his mouth makes them seem to be always smiling and pleasant sounds they make when you jump over the waves resemble laughter. Are able to identify shapes and colors, and the way they communicate with people put dolphins at the same level of monkeys in terms of intelligence and sensitivity.It is said that, for centuries, the dolphins rescued several victims of shipwrecks. Collected them in water and carried them over the back. Traveled great distances to get to let people on the ground, safe and sound.They are also excellent travel companions: follow the boats to warn of danger, subretudo time, fog and help the fishermen, pushing the fish into the net.Are very sensitive and, in love, tend to be extremely faithful: when choosing your partner, even spend the rest of our lives together.
In the story ...
Now ... since Ancient Greece is the dolphinconsidered a special animal? So special, thatwas dedicated to the god Apollo, so that when he took his way in the real world, was the god of navigation. Apollo, the most seductive of the Greek gods, could bewitch all women to be very beautiful, sensitive, intelligent and friendly ... What a coincidence! Exactly the same qualities of the dolphin and also those who should have the son of the King of France is that the young heir to the French throne used to be nicknamed dolphins (dolphins). It was a way to show the court that they were intelligent, smart and respectable.


In the stars ...
Astrologers ... who loved to give animal names ace stars, put a name to a Dauphin of constellations discovered? It is. Saw six stars together which was shaped like a dolphin and that seemed to jump over the Milky Way, like the sea and not the sky.

 Oddly enough, the dolphins are descended from land animals. Although they are so well adapted to their environment as any fish, proof that their ancestors in ancient times roamed the land is evident. Unlike fish, whales are warm-blooded, nursing the pups, have lungs and breathe air.No one yet knows for sure how these intelligent creatures evolved saciáveis, but there seems to be evidence pointing in the direction of a family of primitive hoofed mammals, like wolves.

 Dolphins play a lot, cuddling up with the pectoral fins, an intimate part of courtship. One can pursue and caressing each other for hours before mating. The dolphins have a promiscuous society - do not form pairs and each dolphin mate several times with others.
The Dauphin
The eldest son of the king of France received, from mid-century. XIV, the title of the Dauphin, which means, "the dolphin". This title, of uncertain origin, was first adopted by the Counts of Viennois, France, in whose arms were represented three dolphins. Long persisted doubt as to what had happened the last Dauphin, son of Louis XVI.


 The Minoans and the ancient Greeks had a huge fascination with dolphins, then more abundant in the Mediterranean.There are numerous legends and Greek myths with dolphins. The Greek sailor, as most browsers, were glad to see the dolphins playing near their boats. These pictures belong to the palace of Knossos on Crete, and have about 3500 years. The artist sketched his vertical tails, so that resemblemore fish than with dolphins.

 Currency Tarentum, showing Taras, son of the Greek god of the seas, Poseidon, on a dolphin, 331-302 a. C.

 Around the world, solitary dolphins seem to need the company of humans.Create often special bonds with certain people, and spend hours playing with them. There are many stories of dolphins saving drowning people die and some of them are probably true.

 Many people find that dolphinariaare as cruel circuses where animals trinam to perform skills not aturais. The marine parks are dolphinaria nde people can watch the dolphins and other cetaceans. For many people are the only opportunity to see a live etáceo. Their pools are small compared with the oceans and is very difficult to maintain healthy cetaceans in captivity, many have a short life. For these reasons, in many countries there are campaigns against dolphinaria. In Australia, the Government suggested that they were banned.
Coastal trammel
There is no way to know how many dolphins die in these fine networks.It is thought that only in Sri Lanka, die each year about 40,000 dolphins, but in most countries there are no estimates. In some parts of the world, scientists suspect that soon there will remain dolphins.

 In the regions of the eastern Pacific, dolphins and tuna swim together. To catch the tuna, the fishermen drop out huge networks around the mixed group. Over the past 30 years, died just about 6 million dolphins, which represents the largest massacre of cetaceans ever.

 There are ways to catch fish without killing dolphins. In 1990, the largest tuna of the World started selling tuna "dolphin friend." Many companies have made the same promise, but some were caught in flagrante delicto.

The drift nets as curtains are invisible. Offshore, large fishing boats use these networks with more than 50km long. If you get tangled fishermen limited to cut them, leaving them will drift. A huge number of cetaceans die when they swim against them. The United Nations banned the long drift nets, but the Republic of Formosa, one of the primary users, it is not a UN member. In addition to more such laws are almost impossible to enforce at sea.

 Much of the scientists believe that dolphins are at the same level as dogs and chimpanzees


 Dolphins still have the ability to smell. Scientists do not believe that dolphins have a language like humans.


 Dolphins can learn to do some things. Learn best when activities are broken down into small parts and when they are given food or other reward.


Myth or Fact
It is said that Poseidon, the sea god of the Greeks, gave the dolphin a place among the constellations, for one have saved the bard Arion from drowning. There are extraordinary stories about dolphins helping swimmers, but this is purely accidental: indeed, the dolphins just like to push the objects while swimming.

 On May 17, 1999 arrived atDolphin Bay a new element: a female named Vicky, three years old. Born in Barcelona, ​​traveled by plane and arrived at Lisbon Zoo where well integrated in the group. In fact, this fifth element, still very young, has given much life to the group and contributes greatly to its stability.Vicky is an animal born in artificial habitat and so very used to human management. Already performs some behaviors and always participates in presentations. In winter will be trained with more intensity to come to play a more active role with the Hastings, Lucky, Soda and Kobie, a young six years.The Lowis, Ricky, the Kwibus, Tag and Band continue to animate presentation of sealions in Dolphin Bay being the various companions of a vacationer undisciplined. When they come to this beach the surveillance team does not have peace. This "bather" advocates a 2teoria float "perfectly nonsensical calls focuses on a sea lion, bathe with red flag, almost drowns, is rescued and finally subjected to breath" mouth to mouth "performed by his fellow the sea lion!The head of the team of rescuers in amazement astonishment goes with incorrect ideas and Risky "bather" and, with the help of the public, corrects it systematically.

 Each dolphin can make a whistle that only your help dolphins to recognize each other, but it might just help to know that some other dolphin is close. Scientists are not sure.


 The structure of groups of dolphins is more similar to elephants than with humans.

The Small dolphins suckle distance
Female is provided with two breasts, hidden in the background two flexures located on both sides of the vagina. The mammary gland of dolphins has a particularity: thanks to a powerful muscle, is retractable and able to deliver milk on pressure. Since the little dolphin can not breastfeed, put be deprived of his lips, when he is hungry of small strokes with his head against the mother's womb: the nipple out and then emits a squirt of milk directly into the mouth ajar creates.
Ship sonar can cause death of dolphins and whales
Experts blame the Spanish naval sonars for the death of 24 whales and dolphins in recent weeks in the south of the Mediterranean Sea.Military equipment emit sounds so acute that the animals do not support eardrums and burst.So radars ultrasound have the effect of an explosion in the ears of mammals and they die of internal bleeding or commit suicide do not take the pain.Those who resist suffer deafness or have a very high level of stress, which also causes death by malfunction of other organs.


Autopsies
The 24 species of dolphins and whales zifio of Cuvier (cetaceans around 600 pounds, 5-7 feet long and live, on average, 35 years) were found dead on the beaches of the island Palmas de Gran Canaria with blood in mouth and without marks of hitting ships.Autopsies indicated "hemorrhagic lesions caused by high intensity acoustic signal intense. Collapses cardiocirculatory stress and vascular lesions."This is an analysis that biologists consider proof that the only reason to explain this mortality is the use of radar."The ear of a marine mammal is almost equal to that of a terrestrial animal. Unless adaptations to work at sea, he is not prepared for these ultrasound devices that track deep to find oil or gas. Then suffer from hypersensitivity "said biologist Eduard Degollada, author of a study on the hearing of whales and dolphins for the University of Las Palmas.

Other cases
The Spanish phenomenon is not, however, an isolated case.According to environmental organizations, other marine mammals were dying back southern United States and Mexico by the noise of commercial and military vessels and submarines."There have been seven reports by military testing Americans and NATO on the Spanish Atlantic coast since 1989. And many others in the United States""These tests are equivalent to the reverberation of a bomb blast. No ear can endure," says biologist Susana Requena, the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF acronym in English).The sounds of radars that do not cause death in animals leave other sequelae. The professorUniversity of Las Palmas, Andre Michel, saidthat dolphins are deaf fast faultradar and without guidance system, lost their groups, risking their lives.Blood in the ear of dead animals would be proof of the problem
Stress and disorientation
These types of marine mammals using the apparatushearing to guide them at night and communicate with others."Destroy your hearing system greatly affects the social structure of these animals. If you do not kill them, leaves them stressed and without means to survive," said Michel.Whales and dolphins have a sort of air chamber in the ear canal near the mouth. Therefore, the channels coming directly to the jaw ears.To protect the organs of hearing and compensate for water pressure, these animals have a membrane which ruptures when receiving the high frequency noise.

Protection areas
Without this membrane, the animals lose their meaning, suffering acute pain and die. The Spanish experts suggest creating protected areas for marine mammals in which vessels are prohibited from entering."Nowhere in the world is silent seas. Then the problem affects dolphins and whales around the planet, although depending on the characteristics of the species, some damage is more severe than others," said biologist Michel Andre.On 30 October a demonstration in Lanzarote gathered 10 thousand people - including the Nobel Prize for Literature, José Saramago, who lives on the island - to demand the government environmental protection measures.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment of Spain announced that the case of whales and dolphins killed "is a regional problem that is being addressed by the government of the islands of Las Palmas."The government of Las Palmas, in turn, said it has opened an investigation to clarify the situation.


Mysterious sea serpents Demystified
In 1741, the missionary Hans Egede published its report a "terrible monster" seen near the coast of Greenland. Illustration of Egede would become famous among the vast collection of "tales" of snakes in the sea.
Since then, many explanations have been advanced to vision, such as that says people may have seen a giant squid (Architeuthis), with one of the tentacles mistaken for a tail or a head.
But Charles Paxton, University of St. Andrews in Scotland, suggested a couple of years ago a hypothesis much more interesting. Paxton has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Biology in 2002 for his study on "courtship behavior of ostriches towards humans under farming conditions in Britain", then your hypothesis can not be such a surprise.
The Paxton offers people saw a penis whale.
Yes, a whale male of a species unknown to travelers, has for some reason her reproductive organ erect the surface of the Sea - which can reach up to two meters long - mistaken for some serpent's tail in the sea.
It's actually an idea plausible and serious, so much so that it was published in the Archives of Natural History, "Cetaceans, sex & sea serpents: an analysis of the Egede accounts of a" More Terrible Monster "seen off the coast of Greenland in 1734 . "
On paper, Paxton, along with Erik Knatterud and Sharon Hedley, cautiously argues that:
"... We have confidence in our interpretation of the creature Egede. Neither we suggest that penile whales are a source of universal visions of snake-Navy ... In the case of Egedes, we assume that the representation of the snakes mouth drawings were not entirely accurate. Whether they were accurate, then the strongest objections to the interpretation Whale vision Egede is the presence of teeth in the drawing.
Our explanation also assumes that the witnesses would not have recognized a penis and that some whale species exhibit his penis during the summer in Greenland. Hans Egede (1741, 1745) described the great "membrum manly" a whale Egedes but may not have understood what could have seen at sea.
Despite these objections, although the monster was an unknown species, the diagnostic features (the two fins and two puffs of water) suggest an whale beards. Finally, we'll never know for sure what Poul Egede had seen that day. "
Other graphics fights between sea snakes and whales reinforce the idea Paxton. For sailors who were able to identify a whale watching males who were fighting to mate with a female and occasionally expose the penis out of the water easily confuse with tails of sea serpents.


Dolphins are aquatic mammals that live in almost all the seas of the planet. Like all mammals, need to maintain your body temperature, and so have a layer of fat under your skin.

There are 32 species of dolphins, among which we highlight the common dolphin, the striped dolphin and orca. Your body is wide, like a dorsal fin and two sides that change shape and size according to species. These fins serve to control the direction of swimming, and also to rotate.

The same applies to the nose, depending on species that have a shape longer or round. They also have a horizontally flattened tail that is used to move, and sometimes to stand on the sea surface.

The teeth have a conical shape and are used to hold and discard the food. Dolphins do not have noses. Instead, have a hole with a half moon shape on the top of the head called vent.

dolphins

This vent is closed each time submerged so that no water in the lungs.
When they go to the surface, the vent opens trims expel the foul air from the lungs, forming a vapor cloud called snitch.

It has small eyes, but as he has a good vision can locate objects both inside and outside water feature A dolphin is the speed with which they swim, it can get to be 45 km / h. They can also go deeper up to 300 meters and endure submerged for nearly 25 minutes before leaving to breathe.

Another curious feature is that dolphins never sleep, what they do to relax is to decrease its activity, floating and letting her vent out of the water. This state is called lethargy.