NATIONAL DOLPHIN DAY!
It’s National Dolphin Day! We’ve got some fun facts and pictures for you to celebrate!
Dolphin Fun Facts:
- There are 42 species of dolphins in the world; 38 live in oceans and 4 live in freshwater rivers.
- All dolphins are carnivores. Some species can eat up 30 lbs of fish a day.
- They have a two to three chambered stomachs. Most of the chambers store food and one digests their food.
- Dolphins use echolocation to locate prey and communication with each other. The melon is a fatty rich structure on their heads that help them with echolocation.
- Their communication includes clicks and whistles.
- Dolphin communication can be very complicated and scientists know that dolphins even name each other.
- Like all mammals, dolphins have hair. They are born with a few chin hairs that fall out as they grow older.
- Dolphins can swim up 25 miles per hour.
- Dolphins are highly social and live in groups called pods.
- They are considered to be highly intelligent too.
- Dolphins are obligate breathers. They must think to breathe. They use their blowholes to breathe.
- Dolphins sleep with one 1/2 of their brain asleep, so they can continue to breathe.
Dolphins are fascinating creatures. There is much that scientists don’t know about their complex behavior and groups! We think they are just fantastic! Learn how to draw a dolphin here in our video!
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 
“Dolphins are obligate breathers. They must think to breathe.” Whaaat? I have no idea what this is. I have never heard of it.
My friend and I did a dolphin watching tour boat last year and it was so amazing to “play” with them. They loved the swells from the boat and one jumped right along with us as we sped along. I also remember doing a harbor cruise in San Diego and we had a pod of dolphins leading us as we sped along. So very cool.