Black Sea bottlenose dolphin - one of the subspecies of bottlenose dolphins along with the Indian and Australian bottlenose dolphins. The number of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin is constantly declining, and this has led to it being listed in the Russian Red Book.
Appearance of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin
The bottlenose dolphin is the largest species of the dolphin family and can reach 3-3.5 meters in length. Weight up to 300 kg, males are slightly larger than females.
The head is large, about 60 cm, the forehead is high and sloping, the eyes are small, the nose is moderately extended forward, there are small but strong and sharp teeth.
The lower jaw protrudes slightly, which gives the impression that the dolphin is smiling. The dorsal fin is high, crescent-shaped and has a wide base.
The pectoral fins are longer and narrower than the dorsal fins. Two groups of Black Sea bottlenose dolphins are distinguished by color. In the first type, the transition from a dark-colored back to a light, almost white belly is clearly expressed and has a clear boundary, while in the second type this boundary is blurred and the transition is smoother.
Habitat of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin
The Black Sea bottlenose dolphin swims in the waters of the Black Sea, most often in the coastal zone, but can also live in depth. This is explained by the fact that it has a bottom-based method of searching for food. The bottlenose dolphin can dive to a depth of 100 meters, holding its breath for 5-10 minutes.
Basically, bottlenose dolphins hunt in packs and one bottlenose dolphin can eat up to 15 kg of food per day. Bottlenose dolphins feed on various types of fish, but they can also eat octopuses, mollusks, shrimp, etc.
Character and behavior of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin
Most often, bottlenose dolphins swim in small schools along certain territory. The migration of Black Sea bottlenose dolphins has been poorly studied; these mammals generally lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Bottlenose dolphins are very active during the day, but by night their activity decreases significantly. They sleep near the surface of the water, periodically opening and closing their eyelids. During sleep, they alternate between one and the other hemisphere of the brain being awake.
Bottlenose dolphins swim very quickly and can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h and then jump 5 meters out of the water. They have a highly developed vocal apparatus, which they control very skillfully. Dolphins communicate using echolocation, making a variety of sounds: clicks, whistles, claps, etc.
Bottlenose dolphins are absolutely non-aggressive animals; when meeting a person they are friendly and show interest. Dolphins love to swim around surfers and swimmers, sometimes even saving them from sharks or showing them the way to the shore. In captivity, they are easy to train and happily follow commands, performing a variety of tricks. They are very sociable and even try to imitate a person with sounds and movements.
If a dolphin living in captivity is released into the sea, it will never swim far, but will always return, because bottlenose dolphins become very attached to humans.
Number of individuals of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin
The number of individuals of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin is very small: about 7 thousand and is constantly decreasing.
The main dangers for bottlenose dolphins, as for all other inhabitants aquatic environment, is the pollution of the World Ocean, as well as the constant increase in the intensity of shipping.
Very often, bottlenose dolphins get entangled in fishing nets, from which they cannot get out and die; poaching also negatively affects the number of bottlenose dolphins. Such a man-made problem as noise pollution from ships, oil platforms, sonars, underwater explosions during military exercises and seismic exploration also leads to a rapid reduction in the number of Black Sea bottlenose dolphins. Dolphins lose orientation in space, which leads to their massive beaching.
Reproduction of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins can mate throughout the year, but traditionally the rut occurs in the spring and fall. The pregnant female carries the baby for 12 months, towards the end of pregnancy she becomes very clumsy and slow. The calf is born tail first and is helped to the surface by its mother to take its first breath. At first, the cub feeds only on mother’s milk, which is very fatty and nutritious, and constantly swims next to her, but gradually becomes more independent and stops feeding on milk by about one and a half years.
At 5-7 years old, bottlenose dolphins reach sexual maturity, and they live up to 20-25 years. In captivity, the bottlenose dolphin reproduces well. In aquariums and dolphinariums, there have even been cases of bottlenose dolphins crossing with other species of dolphins.
Protection of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin
The bottlenose dolphin species is included in the list of animals of the International Red Book, and the subspecies of the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin is listed in the Red Book of Russia.
In domestic waters, fishing for the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin has been strictly prohibited since 1966; various activities are constantly being carried out to analyze the number of these mammals and their habitats. Scientists attach special sensors to their fins that allow researchers to study the location and behavior of bottlenose dolphins.
Several individuals every year Black Sea bottlenose dolphins caught for dolphinariums and aquariums.
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Dolphins are incredibly intelligent and friendly to humans, they have a cheerful disposition and are simply adorable animals. It is not for nothing that these aquatic mammals deserve such respectful treatment. Let's learn more about these amazing animals.
The word dolphin goes back to the Greek δελφίς (delphis), which in turn came from the Indo-European root *gʷelbh - “womb”, “womb”, “womb”. The animal's name can be interpreted as "newborn baby" (perhaps due to its resemblance to a baby or because the dolphin's cry is similar to that of a child).
The dolphin is the only mammal whose birth begins in literally from the tail, not from the head! Young dolphins stay with their mother for 2 or 3 years.
In nature, there are almost forty species of dolphins, their closest relatives are whales and sea cows. Dolphins evolved relatively recently - about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Most dolphin species live in salt water, but there are also freshwater animals.
Adult dolphins reach sizes from 1.2 m in length and weight from 40 kg ( river dolphin), up to 9.5 m and 10 tons (orca). The brain is the largest organ in a dolphin's body. During sleep, part of the brain is awake, allowing the dolphin to breathe while sleeping so it doesn't drown! The life of a dolphin directly depends on access to oxygen.
Dolphins have a weak sense of smell, but excellent vision and absolutely unique hearing. Producing powerful sound impulses, they are capable of echolocation, which allows them to perfectly navigate in the water, find each other and food.
Dolphins are capable of producing a wide range of sounds using the nasal air sac located under the blowhole. There are roughly three categories of sounds: frequency-modulated whistles, explosive pulse sounds, and clicks. Clicks are the loudest sounds made by marine life.
Dolphins can swim at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour for long periods of time. This is approximately 3 times faster than the fastest swimmers in the world.
Associated with dolphins is the so-called. "Gray's Paradox". In the 1930s Englishman James Gray was surprised by the unusually high swimming speed of dolphins (37 km/h according to his measurements). Having produced necessary calculations, Gray showed that according to the laws of hydrodynamics for bodies with constant surface properties, dolphins should have had several times greater muscle strength than was observed in them. Accordingly, he suggested that dolphins are able to control the streamlining of their bodies, maintaining a laminar flow around them at speeds for which it should already become turbulent. In the USA and Great Britain after World War II and 10 years later in the USSR, attempts began to prove or disprove this assumption. In the USA, they practically stopped in the period from 1965-1966 to 1983, since, based on incorrect estimates, erroneous conclusions were made that the “Gray's paradox” does not exist, and dolphins only need muscular energy to develop such speed. In the USSR, attempts continued in 1971-1973. The first experimental confirmation of Gray's guess appeared.
Dolphins have a system sound signals. Signals of two types: echolocation (sonar), serve animals to explore the situation, detect obstacles, prey, and “chirps” or “whistles”, for communication with relatives, also expressing emotional condition dolphin
The signals are emitted at very high, ultrasonic frequencies that are inaccessible to human hearing. The sound perception of people is in the frequency band up to 20 kHz, dolphins use a frequency of up to 200 kHz.
Scientists have already counted 186 different “whistles” in the “speech” of dolphins. They have approximately the same levels of organization of sounds as a person: six, that is, sound, syllable, word, phrase, paragraph, context, they have their own dialects.
In 2006, a team of British researchers from the University of St. Andrews conducted a series of experiments, the results of which suggest that dolphins are capable of assigning and recognizing names.
Communication with dolphins has a positive effect on the human body, especially on the child’s psyche. British experts came to this conclusion back in 1978. Since that time, the development of “dolphin therapy” began. It is now used to treat many physical and mental illness, including autism, and other ailments. Swimming with dolphins relieves chronic pain, improves immunity and even helps children develop speech.
Dolphins are also used in pet therapy to treat people using ultrasonic sonar.
A dolphin and a pregnant woman off the coast of Ixtapa, Mexico. Ixtapa, MexicoPicture: CATERS
An absolutely unique feature of dolphins is that they can “look inside” a person, like an ultrasound device - for example, they quickly determine a woman’s pregnancy. The feeling of “new life” often excites dolphins very emotionally; they react violently and joyfully to pregnant women, and, as a rule, pregnant women are not allowed to swim in the enclosures (although this may be the case best time for communication), so as not to take away the attention of animals from other visitors, and to avoid an involuntary “emotional attack” on the unborn baby.
An incredibly romantic fact from the “personal” life of dolphins - ethologists studying Amazon dolphins have discovered that males give gifts to potential partners. So, what gift is waiting for a female dolphin to consider as a candidate for procreation? Of course, a bouquet of river algae!
India has become the 4th country to ban the keeping of dolphins in captivity. Previously, similar measures were taken by Costa Rica, Hungary and Chile. Indians call dolphins “a person or person of other origin than “homo sapiens.” Accordingly, the “person” must have its own rights, and its exploitation for commercial purposes is legally unacceptable. Scientists who analyze animal behavior (ethologists) say that it is very difficult to determine the line separating human intelligence and emotions from the nature of dolphins.
United States and Russian security agencies have trained ocean dolphins for military purposes. War dolphins were trained to detect underwater mines, rescue sailors after their ship was destroyed, and search for and destroy submarines using kamikaze techniques.
A dolphin has twice as many convolutions in the cerebral cortex as a human.
Dolphins not only have " lexicon"up to 14,000 sound signals, which allows them to communicate with each other, but also have self-awareness, "social consciousness" and emotional empathy - a willingness to help newborns and the sick, pushing them to the surface of the water.
Dolphins are voracious predators, feeding mainly on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans; sometimes they attack their relatives.
Dolphins generally live socially, are found in all seas and even rise into rivers.
Dolphins are famous for their playful behavior and the fact that, for fun, they can blow air bubbles underwater in the form of a ring using a blowhole. These may be large clouds of bubbles, streams of bubbles, or individual bubbles. Some of them act as a kind of communication signals.
Within a school, dolphins form very close bonds. Scientists have noticed that dolphins care for sick, wounded and elderly relatives, and a female dolphin can help another female during a difficult birth. At this time, the dolphins nearby, protecting the female in labor, swim around her for protection.
Along with humans and bonobos (pygmy chimpanzees), dolphins are the only animal species that can mate for pleasure.
Another proof of the high intelligence of dolphins is the fact that adults sometimes teach their young to use special tools for hunting. For example, they “dress” sea sponges on their muzzles in order to avoid injury when hunting fish that can hide in bottom sediments of sand and sharp pebbles.
Dolphin skin is very delicate and easily damaged when in contact with other surfaces. That's why before petting a dolphin, you need to remove everything sharp objects, such as rings.
Dolphins have up to 100 teeth in their mouths, but they do not chew food with them, but only capture it. Dolphins swallow all their prey whole.
Dolphins can dive to depths of up to 305 meters, but, as a rule, they only swim that deep when hunting. Many bottlenose dolphins live in almost shallow waters. In Sarasota Bay (Florida), dolphins spend significant time at a depth of only 2 meters.
The oldest dolphin in captivity was named Nellie. She lived in the park marine mammals"Marineland" (Florida) and died when she was 61 years old.
When dolphins hunt, they use interesting tactics to drive fish into a trap. They begin to circle around the school of fish, closing the ring, forcing the fish to form a tight ball. Then, one by one, the dolphins snatch the fish from the center of the school, preventing it from leaving.
Dolphins can rise up to 6 meters above the water when they leap out of the water.
Which have been developing in parallel with humanity since the appearance of life on the planet. They have their own language and hierarchy, their brain activity is strikingly different from that of all other animals and fish and cannot be fully studied. Experiments conducted with the participation of these creatures usually baffle researchers, since they cannot form a definite opinion about the level of intelligence of dolphins. Of course, they are very smart and hide secrets that humanity will study for a long time. That is why interesting facts about dolphins never cease to amaze not only children, but also adults.
Who are dolphins?
First of all, it must be said that dolphins are not fish, despite the fact that they live in water. These creatures are mammals and viviparous, just like all inhabitants of the animal world. In this case, the female gives birth to only one baby, and not many. And the mother bears her child from ten to eighteen months. The name of the animal, which dates back to the ancient Greek language, is translated as “newborn baby.” What this is connected with is now difficult to determine. Perhaps dolphins received this name for their piercing cry, similar to, or perhaps for their resemblance to, a human fetus in the womb.
The most amazing facts about dolphins prove their close proximity to humans. These animals swim very quickly, so they often compete in speed with ships and have fun by jumping out of the water and seeming to smile at people looking at them. There are known facts of human rescue by dolphins.
Dolphin species
There are more than seventy species of dolphins in nature. They have specific similarities with each other, such as viviparity, feeding on milk, the presence of respiratory organs, smooth skin and much more. Also in dolphins different types has its own characteristics. Some animals have an elongated nasal part, while others, on the contrary, have a depressed one. They may differ in color and body weight.
Oceanic beauty - bottlenose dolphin
The bottlenose dolphin, interesting facts about which never cease to amaze the world, is the kindest and most sympathetic creature on the planet. They live in warm waters world ocean. bottlenose dolphins are fish, squids and small inhabitants of the ocean depths.
The bottlenose dolphin, interesting facts about which history knows, is a very compassionate creature. An indicative case occurred in New Zealand in 2004. A hundred meters from the shore, four rescuers were attacked by a white shark. A school of bottlenose dolphins protected people for forty minutes from a predator that sensed its prey. There is no explanation for this fact of kindness and compassion on the part of animals.
Interesting facts about dolphins are varied. One of them says that bottlenose dolphins have a brain volume of one thousand five hundred milligrams. According to scientists' research, each dolphin has its own name, which its relatives call it. All of them produce peculiar sounds that are difficult for the human ear to catch, but in its environment one individual differs from another precisely in its peculiar timbre and manner of communication.
Dolphin hunting methods
An interesting fact is that dolphins use echolocation to hunt. Their hearing is designed in such a way that, based on the reflected signal, animals can determine the number of objects, their volume and degree of danger. Dolphins can deafen their prey with high-frequency sounds, paralyzing them. These creatures hunt only in packs, and they also cannot live alone. Dolphin families sometimes number about a hundred individuals. Thanks to these abilities, the animal is never left without abundant food.
Coastal white-beaked dolphin
White-faced dolphins are inhabitants of temperate waters. They mainly live in the coastal zone and feed on bottom-dwelling fish. Most often they are found off the coast of Norway, where fishing for dolphins of this species is open.
The white-faced dolphin is unique; interesting facts about it are very common. The motives of this species of individuals that force the animals to wash ashore are unclear. Despite the fact that they can breathe oxygen, water is vital for them, since the surface of the skin must not be allowed to dry out. Scientists hypothesize that white-beaked dolphins wash ashore due to infections and diseases that plague them. But this, like everything related to dolphins, requires deep and detailed research.
Dolphin and man
Interesting facts about dolphins say that they are smarter than any person on the planet. As already mentioned, the brain of these creatures can reach a weight of 1700 mg, while in humans it is 1400 mg. In addition, compared to humans, dolphins have significantly more convolutions in the cerebral cortex. Interesting facts (for children) about these creatures help develop in the younger generation a desire to learn more about our smaller brothers.
Dolphins have a “lexicon” of fourteen thousand signals, which are pronounced with different intonations and unique voices. Animal psychologists claim that dolphins have quite developed self-awareness and social consciousness. Since they live in a collective, its problems are not alien to each individual. If a sick or weak dolphin appears in a family, then all its relatives help it and push it to the surface, giving it the opportunity to take a breath of fresh air. Some people should learn compassion from these noble animals.
Gray's Paradox
Interesting facts about the life of dolphins include Gray's Paradox. James Gray established back in the thirties of the twentieth century that the speed of an animal in water is thirty-seven kilometers per hour, which contradicts the muscular capabilities of the body. According to the scientist, dolphins need to change the streamlining of their bodies in order to develop such speed. Experts from the USA and USSR puzzled over this issue, but a final decision was never made.
Dolphin tongue
The category “The most interesting facts about dolphins” includes their ability to communicate with each other and detect prey. Researchers found that for different life situations these creatures have their own sounds, and they are divided into sonar and communicative. Sonar signals are used to detect prey, and communication signals are used to communicate within the family.
Ordinary human hearing is unable to catch the dolphin call. People perceive sounds up to twenty kilohertz, and dolphins emit signals at a frequency of up to two hundred kilohertz.
Scientists have found that in the speech of animals there are more than one hundred and eighty different whistles. Dolphin sounds form syllables, words and even phrases. And representatives from different regions Each one whistles in his own dialect.
They created a device with which they are trying to recognize the meaning of dolphin signals.
Not long ago it was found that the ultrasound emitted by dolphins has a beneficial effect on humans and even helps in the treatment of certain diseases.
Treatment of humans with the help of dolphins
The interaction between a dolphin and a person always has a beneficial effect on the psychological state of the latter, which is why such treatment as dolphin therapy has appeared. In most cases, this therapy helps children with certain communication disorders. Autism, attention deficit disorder and even cerebral palsy can be treated by interacting with these amazing animals.
Dolphin defense
The most amazing facts about dolphins highlight their excellent ability to interact with people. These animals were trained for military purposes by the two largest world powers of the twentieth century - the USA and the USSR. Dolphins were trained to find mines, rescue sailors from sunken ships and even destroy enemy submarines, unfortunately dying in the process.
All the most interesting things about dolphins
It's safe to say that dolphins are the most... unusual creatures planets. This is stated 10 interesting facts about dolphins.
- The ancient Greeks revered the dolphin as a deity and gave it the name “sacred fish.” The statue of Apollo at Delphi bore the image of this animal.
- The Romans placed dolphin figurines in the hands of the dead during burial. According to legend, they were supposed to accompany a person to the afterlife.
- Dolphin figurines were found in the Jordan desert. It is surprising that this country is located far from the habitat of animals.
- Dolphins have teeth, but do not use them to chew because their jaws are not overgrown with muscles.
- These animals understand human speech if they communicate directly with people. They can remember up to sixty words.
- If a dolphin has one tablespoon of water in its lungs, it will die. In this case, a land dweller, a person, dies from two tablespoons of water.
- Female dolphins help each other give birth to their offspring. All other relatives provide protection at this time.
- Dolphins can't smell, but they do, so they can be offended by a gift of chili pepper and thank you for candy.
- A dolphin weighing one hundred and twenty kilograms needs to eat thirty-three kilograms of fish a day, while the animals do not gain weight or become obese.
- Dolphins help fishermen fish. They tell you when there are a lot of fish in the nets and it’s time to pull them out.
All interesting facts about dolphins are associated with their unique abilities and talents, as well as with the “human” characteristics of the species.
Dolphins are rightfully considered the most smart creatures depths of the sea. Dolphins belong to the group of mammals. They feed their young with milk. In addition, dolphins communicate with each other using sounds. They also understand people very well and are trainable. There are cases in history when dolphins saved people. Therefore, we suggest further viewing more interesting and amazing facts about dolphins.
1. Dolphins are considered the most popular and most amazing animals among all types of marine animals.
2. These dogs are famous for their cheerful character and high intelligence. sea creatures.
3. Dolphins use only half of their brains during sleep.
4. An average dolphin can eat about 13 kg of fish per day.
5. These sea animals are capable of creating a wide range of sounds.
6. One of the loudest sounds dolphins make is clicking.
7. Dolphins help people with developmental disabilities and psychological therapy.
8. Dolphins can create bubbles when playful.
9. The largest member of the dolphin family is the killer whale.
10. Killer whales can reach more than nine meters in length.
11. Dolphins have sex for pleasure.
12. These sea creatures can swim at speeds of up to 40 km per hour.
13. More than 11 km per hour is the usual swimming speed of dolphins.
14. Dolphins are considered the smartest animals in the world.
15. Mostly these sea animals live in schools of up to ten individuals.
16. Temporary associations of dolphins can reach 1000 individuals.
17. The length of the smallest dolphin is about 120 cm.
18. Weight can reach up to 11 tons largest representative of this family.
19. The average dolphin weighs more than 40 kg.
20. The skin of these sea creatures is very thin.
21. Dolphins' skin is easily damaged by sharp objects.
22. The gestation period of a female dolphin can last twelve months.
23. The gestation period for killer whales is about 17 months.
24. There are about 100 teeth in the oral cavity of a dolphin.
25. Dolphins do not chew their food, but swallow it.
26. The name of the dolphin comes from the Greek word “Delphis”.
27. Dolphins can dive up to 304 meters deep.
28. Many of these sea animals live in fairly shallow water.
29. Within the group, the bonds between dolphins are very strong.
30. Dolphins can care for wounded and sick individuals.
31. These sea creatures breathe air.
32. These sea animals breathe air through their blowhole.
33. Most species of dolphins live in salt water.
34. The oldest dolphin died at 61.
35. These sea animals give birth to babies tail first.
36. Dolphins use echolocation to search for food.
37. These sea creatures often use interesting hunting tactics.
38. Dolphins cannot sleep completely enough to breathe constantly.
39. Dolphins are considered very interesting and playful animals.
40. These sea animals can jump to a height of about six meters.
41. Dolphins can play with some types of animals.
42. Dolphins learn foreign languages.
43. Swimming with these sea creatures helps relieve stress, tension and insomnia.
44. Since ancient times, dolphins have attracted people with their benevolence.
45. About 70 species of these sea creatures are known today.
46. Dolphins recognize their reflection in the mirror.
47. Dolphins constantly swim in circles in the water.
48. These sea creatures live in family packs.
49. Dolphins help each other in a school.
50. Every dolphin has a name.
51. Dolphins are very similar to people.
52. These sea creatures have a four-chambered heart.
53. The brain of dolphins has the same weight as that of a human.
54. A dolphin cannot look at objects directly in front of it.
55. These sea creatures can spend about seven minutes without air underwater.
56. Dolphins communicate with each other using echolocation.
57. A dolphin can stay underwater for up to 20 minutes in case of danger.
58. Certain serious skills of dolphins allow them to easily adapt to any environment.
59. During the first month of life, these sea creatures do not sleep.
60. Dolphins can use the sonar sound system continuously for 15 days.
61. The world Dolphins explore using creaks and clicks.
62. The eyes of these creatures can see a 300-degree panoramic environment.
63. Dolphins can look in different directions at the same time.
64. These sea creatures are able to see in low light.
65. Every two hours, the entire layer of skin of dolphins changes.
67. Any damage to the skin of dolphins heals quickly.
68. These sea creatures do not experience pain.
69. Dolphins can continue to play after being seriously injured.
70. Dolphins are capable of producing natural pain relievers.
71. Dolphins are able to convert 80% of their energy into thrust.
72. C open wounds dolphins swim in the ocean.
73. These sea creatures have an excellent immune system.
74. Dolphins are able to absorb antibiotics.
75. These sea creatures are able to sense the Earth's magnetic field.
76. During high solar activity, dolphins can wash ashore.
77. The sonar system of dolphins is considered a unique phenomenon.
78. Dolphins have an amazing ability to detect objects at a distance.
79. Albinos exist in nature - rare view dolphins.
80. With the help of the nasal air sac, these sea creatures reproduce sounds.
82. Dolphins can blow bubbles underwater with the help of a blower.
83. Shellfish, squid and fish are part of the usual diet of dolphins.
84. These sea creatures can eat up to 30 kg of food per day.
85. At a distance of up to 20 meters, these sea creatures can recognize other animals.
86. Dolphins are very easy to tame and train.
87. The vocabulary of these sea animals consists of more than 14,000 words.
88. Dolphins can conduct a dialogue using sign language.
89. These sea animals are capable of repeating words after a person.
90. Land mammals are the ancestors of dolphins.
91. About 49 million years ago, the ancestors of dolphins moved into the water.
92. On average, dolphins live more than 50 years.
93. There are four river species dolphins.
94. There are 32 species of sea creatures.
95. Dolphins were considered a sacred animal in Ancient Greece.
96. Dolphins pass on their skills and abilities as a legacy.
97. These sea creatures cannot smell.
98. Dolphins cannot distinguish between some tastes.
99. Dolphins live with their mother for three years.
100. The pink dolphin is considered a unique species and lives in the Amazon.
Dolphins have always aroused interest among people. Even the ancient Greeks noted the development of their intelligence, as well as their kindness and peacefulness, for which they valued and respected these animals. Over time, they became man's closest aquatic friend, because they repeatedly helped in one situation or another, saving people. Scientists are still exploring and collecting interesting facts about dolphins and we have combined the most famous of them into one list.
1. The dolphin brain is very developed and has twice as many convolutions as the human brain. Moreover, they know how to control their hemispheres. By closing one eye, left or right, they temporarily put the corresponding left or right eye to sleep. right hemisphere, while the second continues to work.
2. Interesting fact about bottlenose dolphins. They live off the coast of Australia and look for food in a rather unusual way. They put a sea sponge on the tip of the nose, and then use it to search the bottom. They do this so as not to accidentally get hurt, because the coastal waters of Australia are full of sharp corals.
3. These creatures can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. But not everyone has the ability to move so quickly, only one species – squirrel dolphins.
4. Among the interesting facts about dolphins for children is incredibly fast skin regeneration. Any wound, minor scratch or deep cut heals on a creature’s body 8 times faster than on a human. It is worth noting that even bacteria, if the water around is very dirty, does not affect the wounds of dolphins and cannot lead to infection. By comparison, a fairly serious injury the size of a basketball would take only a week for a creature to heal.
5. Like people, dolphins absorb oxygen using their lungs. But their respiratory organ is more developed, because it processes up to 80% of all the air that enters it, in contrast to the 17% that human lungs are capable of. This allows the creature to be under water for 10 to 15 minutes by means of oxygen capture.
6. Interesting fact about Black Sea dolphins. Like other members of their species, they have a reduced perception of pain. All this is thanks to a special substance that their body secretes, which has an effect somewhat reminiscent of morphine.
7. Despite belonging to the sea or river type, the vision of these animals is weak, but their hearing is very developed. They communicate using sounds, this has been proven for a very long time. And recently, scientists finally managed to calculate their number, which amounted to about 14 thousand different signals, which are a kind of “words”.
8. Research has shown that each of the dolphins has its own name. They receive it at birth, we could understand this from the sounds that immediately follow after the baby is born. Also, subsequently it is to this sound that they respond in the future.
9. An interesting fact from the life of dolphins - unlike other creatures, they are always born with their tail first, otherwise they would immediately drown.
10. What once again proved the development of their mind is that dolphins recognize themselves in the mirror. In addition to simple ingenuity, they also have self-awareness - a rare phenomenon for animals.