Dolphin
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
