Mammalmemos’s Weblog

Is a dolphin a mammal?

All mammals are different but one of the most fascinating marine mammals is the dolphin. Some people just think that the dolphin is just a dumb cute animals. In reality the dolphin is extremely intelligent. That is why people train them to do tricks for entertainment. Dolphins are mischievous and adapt well to human interaction. Most dolphins just love to play, many scientists compare them to dogs. They are part of the family Delphinidae and the class mammilia.There are around 40 different species of dolphins including bottle nosed, spotted, common, commerson, and dusky. Each type share similar characteristics but have differences in appearance. Dolphins have most of the five senses that humans do the only one they really lack is smell. Dolphins have pretty bad eyesight but they have amazing hearing. A dolphin can hear much better than a human although the ears on the side of their heads are really quite small. Scientists do not believe the dolphin has a sense of smell because they lack an olfactory nerve. It is believed that the dolphin has a sense of taste since dolphins will prefer to eat certain types of fish. Dolphins can have hundreds of teeth and the way they are placed gives them an appearance of a smile. Then the fifth and final sense is touch. It is also thought that dolphins have a keen sense for feeling.

Representation of an eight-week dolphin foetus inside its mother’s womb.

Another characteristic that makes the dolphin similar to people and helps make it a mammal is its babies. A baby dolphin is called its calf. Dolphins still go through a related birth process but with a 12 month gestation period instead of a 9 month. Another difference from humans is that when their little baby comes out it will be about 44 pounds! Which is really small compared to the mother and father. Calves can see and swim from the second they are born. One of the most interesting things about dolphins is that when they grow up they leave, just like us, but they come back and visit once in a while.

People like marine biologists are studying these creatures everyday. We still are learning a great deal about our lovable flipper. This mammal is definitely worth the time and effort. If you want to know more about the bottle nosed dolphin research or go to facts about them.

http://desma9fall07a.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/15169_dolphins-have-names.jpg picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin info.

http://library.thinkquest.org/3935/DOLPHINS.HTM#baby info.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/sci_nat_animals_in_the_womb/img/2.jpg pic

http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/dolphin.html facts

There are a number of jobs that deal with caring for, working with, or helping mammals.  Every job has a different goal in mind. Including saving mammals, learning from them, or figuring out ways to use their full potential. Some examples are Veterinarians and trainers, but I’d like to focus on zoology. 

Being a zoologist means you study animals, whether it is animal behaviors or their anatomy.  People become zoologists for many reasons, but a huge reason for most is the caring factor.  They care about the animals they are studying and are interested in helping them or learning about them. Zoologists work with animals big and small, vicious and sweet, cute and creepy. To them, they are all interesting and useful. These scientists question something and then conduct experiments to find answers for them, kind of like in high school chemistry classes. Every answer they find helps them learn or maybe even discover something new we didn’t already know.

“Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.” (Jane Goodall) This quote is from a famous zoologist Jane Goodall who spent many years of her life studying monkeys to find answers to her questions. This quote basically sums up why I think people study animals and why we should study them. These jobs are extremely important to how we live and our future. We have learned so much since people have had the desire to educate themselves.

If someone would like to become a zoologist, the main requirement would be to love animals. Then they would need to take as many science classes, such as biology, as possible. Another important step is finding a college where someone could major in zoology, such as Cornell University or Michigan State. A person who wants to become a zoologist also would be helpful to earn an honors in zoology and then go on to post graduate studies to become more than just an assistant.

Although these jobs take a lot of commitment and work they are important. These scientists have saved our mammals when they were sick and have found answers to troubling questions. What would we do with out these devoted individuals?

http://www.yell.com/images/classifications/vets.jpg picture

http://www.biologyreference.com/images/biol_04_img0459.jpg picture

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/jane_goodall.htm quote

www.msu.edu/ and http://www.cornell.edu/ schools

www.google.com

Mammals are considered the dominant species on the planet. Especially since human beings are in the mammal category. So if humans are important then mammals also have some importance. They are strong and weak, cute and mean, even big and small. All mammals are different but they share some main qualities that make them a mammal. They are important to use and the world for many reasons. Most people in the world use mammals as a source of nutrients whether they are drinking milk from a cow or goat or eating meat from a pig. In caveman times the men used mammals fur for clothing and warmth. This nutrient source keeps people healthy and well nourished. Without mammals we would not have milk or cheese which are some of the most necessary parts of the food pyramid.

People also use mammals as companions. What would we do without mans best friend? Animals like dogs can comfort people when they are down or be an unconditional love in someones life. A lot of people use animals as their rock or emotional aid. Its amazing to come home from a long day of work or school to a happy puppy that is wagging her tail. Mammals also encourage activity. Whether you are horse back riding, walking your dog, or swimming with the dolphins. They make you get up and move with them helping you exercise. Another thing we use mammals for is descriptions. Like when you say he is as slow as an elephant. Those descriptions are important in everyday life and necessary for jobs.

We also use mammal habits to study and make decisions for them that affect our future. As a society we study mammals to develop ideas about our world and make good choices for the world.

Mammals are also a huge source of entertainment. We use many mammals in television and in the learning processes. Or for shows at amusement parks and zoos. On T.V. there are trained monkeys and dogs that entertain us with funny tricks and stories. Then we also have educational shows where people explain about how the mammal functions and interesting facts about the species. We also train mammals to do tasks that we are to lazy to do. Like for example sending monkeys up into space to do things we eventually would like to do.

Mammals are our coworkers, our employees and us. Not to mention most of the furry creatures are our friends that have a purpose whether it is on an emotional level or logical level.