The most common dolphin species in captivity is the bottlenose dolphin, while there are around 60 orcas in captivity. Dolphins are sometimes kept in captivity and trained to perform tricks. Dolphins occasionally feature in literature and film, as in the film series Free Willy. Dolphins have been depicted in various cultures worldwide. Besides drive hunting, they also face threats from bycatch, habitat loss, and marine pollution. Dolphins produce a variety of vocalizations, usually in the form of clicks and whistles.ĭolphins are sometimes hunted in places such as Japan, in an activity known as dolphin drive hunting. Mothers of some species fast and nurse their young for a relatively long period of time. Calves are typically born in the spring and summer months and females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Male dolphins typically mate with multiple females every year, but females only mate every two to three years. Dolphins feed largely on fish and squid, but a few, such as the orca, feed on large mammals such as seals. Most species prefer the warm waters of the tropic zones, but some, such as the right whale dolphin, prefer colder climates. They have a layer of fat, or blubber, under the skin to keep warm in the cold water.ĭolphins are widespread. Some species are well adapted for diving to great depths. It is so well developed that some can survive even if they are blind. They have well-developed hearing which is adapted for both air and water. Dolphins use their conical teeth to capture fast-moving prey. Though not quite as flexible as seals, some dolphins can briefly travel at speeds of 29 kilometres (18 mi) per hour or leap about 30 feet (9.1 m). They have streamlined bodies and two limbs that are modified into flippers. Various species of dolphins exhibit sexual dimorphism where the males are larger than females.

There are 40 extant species named as dolphins.ĭolphins range in size from the 1.7-metre-long (5 ft 7 in) and 50-kilogram (110-pound) Maui's dolphin to the 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) and 10-tonne (11-short-ton) orca.

Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the brackish dolphins), and the extinct Lipotidae (baiji or Chinese river dolphin). A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea.

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