Posts Tagged With: environment

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!

THAT IS ONE BIG DOLPHIN!

It’s time to meet one of the oceans most iconic animals! These black and white predators are known around the world and today you are going to learn more about them along with us!

• Orcas live in oceans all around the world.

• They can grow up to 32 ft long and weigh up to 6 tons. That is the average weight of an adult male elephant!
• Orcas are carnivores. They eat fish, seals, squid and even other whales.
• They are listed as data deficient by the IUCN.
• Orcas are also known as killer whales.

• Scientists believe that orcas will eventually be split in to either subspecies or different species. There are orcas that stay in one location all year round (resident). There are orcas that live in smaller groups that travel where the food is abundant (transient). And there are orcas that hunt mainly very far from shore (offshore).
• These carnivores live in pods and often hunt together as a group.

• Orcas have earned the nickname wolves of the sea, because of their group hunting techniques.
• They can swim up to 33 mph!
• Orcas have up to a 4″ layer of blubber to help keep them warm in cold waters.
• Their teeth are 4″ long! Watch out for those chompers!
• Orcas, like other toothed dolphins and whales, use echolocation to detect prey.
• They are highly vocal. Pods are known to have their own unique language, dialect and culture. Scientists say the orcas’ dialects are very distinctive, like humans from the United Kingdom vs humans from Scotland.

• They have the 2nd heaviest brain of any marine mammal- our friend the sperm whale has the heaviest!

Orcas are super cool! They are highly social and intelligent! Cultures around the world have told myths and stories of the killer whales for centuries. The Kwakwaka’wakw people believed that orcas were the rulers of the seas and sea lions were their slaves! Wow!