The dolphin 🐬 is not a fish but a marine mammal that lives in all seas of the globe 🌎. It follows the schools of fish to feed.
Its back is black and its belly white. Its skin is plain and smooth, which allows it to swim at a speed of up to 44 km per hour. It measures from 1 to 4 meters and its weight goes from 70 kg to 400 kg according to its origin.
Its beak is long and equipped with 80 to 100 teeth all equal. It uses them to seize its preys, but they are not useful to chew its food. The walls of its stomach are in charge of crushing its prey. The tail fin (caudal) is flat and horizontal, the back fin is developed.
Curiously the dolphin can see up and down and behind him but does not see very well from the front. It uses its cat which emits ultra-sounds that send back the location of obstacles and schools of fish.
It is a warm-blooded animal and the thick layer of fat under its skin helps it to keep its temperature between 35 and 36 degrees C. It is a very social animal that lives in groups and spends its days chasing fish and having fun swimming, jumping and diving in the water.
The dolphin chooses a new partner every year and mating takes place from October to December. The gestation period lasts about 360 days. The baby is born tail first and can already swim. The dolphin calf will be mature at the age of 5 to 6 years.
While the birth is accomplished, two other females protect the baby and the mother from predators. Its main enemy is the killer whale even though it is from the same family.
Fishermen follow dolphins to detect schools of fish and make good fishing. The species most captured by men is the bottlenose dolphin. It is used for shows. This shortens its life by a lot.
A dolphin in the wild has a lifespan of at least 40 years, while in the wild the life span of dolphins is only seven years.
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