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The
Dolphins Page The Dolphin Research Institute does some really cool things for dolphins.
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The young bottlenose dolphin will stay with its mother for at least a year, feeding on milk at first, and then gradually learning about different types of food by tasting scraps she leaves behind. Once mature it will stay in the same school. | |
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Common dolphins in the sea of Cortez, Mexico, have sought out the warmer waters of the southern winter, which takes place between July and November. | |
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Female spinner dolphins give birth to a calf every second or third year after a long gestation period, and they suckle their young for at least seven months. Adult spinner dolphins feed at night on fish and squid that rise to the surface when darkness falls. | |
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Photographed underwater, a pair of common dolphins swim together off the coast of Mexico. They are no doubt part of a larger group that feeds cooperatively. | |
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Common dolphins are very fast swimmers and when they decide to race a vessel only the fastest boat can keep up with them, and they can easily out-manoeuvre a boat with quick twists and turns. They often leap clear of the water showing off the colourful marking on their flanks. | |
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The striking silhouette of the long-beaked spinner dolphin, with its long snout and triangular dorsal fin, makes it easy to recognise when seen from a ship. This playful creature may repeat the leaps and spins over and over again and be joined by hundreds of others as well. | |
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Remarkably agile, common dolphins appear to race each other through Pacific waters. | |
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Bottlenose dolphins are very playful creatures and will often leap clear of the water. If trained in a dolphinarium, they will do this in response to a signal, or perhaps in return for a reward of food, but in the open sea they do this at will, possibly just for fun. | |
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Spotted dolphins are very acrobatic, often leaping completely clear of the water. They may do this for play or in escape from predators like large sharks or killer whales. | |
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The streamlined body of the spotted dolphin indicates that it is a powerful and fast swimmer, chasing fast-moving prey in the open sea. Its spotted markings vary in different parts of its range and with the age of the dolphin. | |
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Engaged in vocalising a series of sounds that are part of the complex system of dolphin communication, this animal appears to be laughing. | |
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The bodies of whales and dolphins, like this bottle-nosed dolphin, are often covered with scars and scratches. These may be the result of encounters with predators like sharks or killer whales, or the results of fights between rivals of the same species. | |
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The Pacific whitesided dolphin has up to 28 small pointed teeth, typical of all the dolphins, in each jaw which it uses to help it feed on squid, anchovies, and hake. | |
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The long-beaked spinner dolphin is found in the warmer parts of the eastern Pacific Ocean, where it sometimes occurs in schools of over one thousand and can provide one of the most exciting spectacles for travellers at sea. | |
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The bottle-nosed dolphin has a pronounced snout and a set of pointed teeth, ideal for capturing the fish and squid it may find by echo-location. | |
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Common dolphins sometimes come to a boat to bow-ride, and this gives a clear view of the streamlined shape. Seen from above they look all dark, but if they roll to one side the stripes on their flanks show more clearly. This grey colouring maybe a form of camouflage, useful in the open sea. | |
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Spotted dolphins have a varied diet, feeding on several species of fish and squid. They usually hunt in groups, causing their prey to bunch together by attacking from all sides. | |
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The bottle-nosed dolphin is among the unfortunate species that can become accidentally entangled in fisherman's nets. | |
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This bottlenose dolphin is checking out the view above the water. | |
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When it breaks the surface, the pointed snout and the stripes flanks of the common dolphin are clearly visible. The blowhole opens for it to breathe, but, unlike the large whales, there is not visible vapour from the blow. | |
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A small group of spotted dolphins in the waters off the Bahamas seeks out fish. If the water is clear like this, they can easily see their prey, but at night or in cloudy water, they find it by echo-location. | |
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Dolphins always seem ready to interact with humans, and their complex language and apparent intelligence have long been the subject of study. | |
