"Welcome to Trellius' (that's me ^_^) Dope-Ass Dolphin Section or D.A.D.S
as we like to call it. (Oi! May the force not sue us!). This section was designed to
give you a better understanding of the inner, and outer workings of our good ol' pal
Ecco and his kin.
Here you will find as much as possible (I'm hoping all actually) information about dolphins as well as a quick peek at what they look like in day to day life. For better maneuverability the page is split into two parts: 'Dolphin facts', and 'Dolphin videos' so go nuts and explore!"
"Can Dolphins talk?"
Dolphins have their own unique and complex language. This consists mainly of sound (squeaks, whistles, clicks etc.) but aside from this they can also use their flippers and tails to slap the water, and their body posture and jaw movement to communicate. Studies have shown that dolphins are capable of understanding a structured language, like our own, studies also show that a dolphin's vocalization is complex enough to some form of language.
"If dolphins have to breath air, how can they sleep?"
Well as stated by Williams et al, 1990, dolphins must be conscious in order to breathe. In other words they would never be able to go into a complete deep sleep, because then they would drown (ironic isn't it). To contend with this problem, dolphins have developed a method to let one half of their brain sleep at a time. The average dolphin sleeps about 8 hours a day.
While sleeping a dolphin could simply swim slowly to the surface now and again to breath, drift just below water level, or in the shallows.
"How does echolocation work?"
In order to "see" under water, the dolphin emits a high-pitched click or squeak. This sound then hits an object and is bounced back. So by listening to the echo the dolphin is able to determine how far the object is from its location by the time it took to receive the echo. Hence the name "echo" location.
Also it depends on the material the object is made of. For example the sound may actually penetrate an object and reflect off the interns of the object, giving the dolphin a sneak peek of what is inside.
Should the sonar strike a fish the sound is reflected back and from the fish's skin, small bones, organs etc. One sonar blast can tell the dolphin quite a lot of things! By moving its head (thereby aiming the clicks at other parts of the fish) the dolphin can get more information on other parts of the fish. Very handy, and can also be used in conjunction with their vision.
"How long do dolphins live?"
The average lifespan of a dolphin is a maximum of 40 to 50 years, although it is known to differ from region to region.
"What do those darling little critters eat?"
Their diet consists of a variety of fish (including mullet, mackerel, herring, cod) and squid, and pretty much depends on what is in the aria and what season it is.
How MUCH they eat depends on the type of fish they are eating and its nutritional value and size. On average an adult dolphin will eat 4-9% of its body weight in fish, so a 250 kg (550 lbs) dolphin will eat 10-22.5 kg (22-50 lbs) fish per day.
"Why do dolphins beach themselves?"
This usually happens when the animal is very sick (and exhausted (in most cases it has pneumonia) and/or parasites (worms in the nasal passages are very common).
Some species of whales and dolphins strand in groups. A stranding of 2 or more animals is usually called a mass stranding (I mean dang! 1 whale is allot of mass already but TWO...). There are many theories WHY they do this:
Deep water animals (the species that most often are the victim of mass stranding) can not "see" a sloping sandy beach properly with its sonar. They detect the beach only when they are almost stranded already and they will panic and run aground (Source: W.H. Dudok van Heel (1962): Sound and Cetacea. Neth. J. Sea Res. 1: 407-507).
Whales and dolphins may be navigating by the earth's magnetic field. When the magnetic field is disturbed (this occurs at certain locations) the animals get lost and may run into a beach (Source: M. Klinowska (1985): Cetacean live stranding sites relate to geomagnetic topography. Aquatic Mammals 11(1): 27-32).
In some highly social species, the group leader may be sick and wash ashore. The other members try to stay close and may strand with the group leader (Source: F.D. Robson (?) The way of the whale: why they strand - unpublished manuscript).
When under severe stress or in panic, the animals may fall back to the behavior of their early ancestors and run to shore to find safety (Source: F.G. Wood (1979) The cetacean stranding phenomena: a hypothesis. In: J.B. Geraci and D.J. St. Aubin: Biology of marine mammals: Insights through strandings. Marine Mammal Commission report no: MMC-77/13: pp. 129-188).
