What Are the Different Types of Dolphins?
Have you ever wondered how many different types of dolphins there actually are? Many you did not even realize that there was more than one type. If you are not up on your marine animals you may be surprised at home many different types actually exist. This article will briefly explain the different types of dolphins and what you may want to know about them. Understanding the different types may help you appreciate them more.
The first thing that you need to know about dolphins is that there are actually two types. They can be oceanic dolphins or river dolphins. Now, within each of these types there can be approximately 40 different species. If you did not know this you should not be ashamed. Most people know and recognize the bottlenose dolphin. This is probably the one you are most familiar with.
Many people consider the oceanic dolphin to be the true dolphin because they live in salt water and behave like a dolphin should. This is where the bottlenose dolphin fits in. They have very long beaks and they appear to be smiling at you. These animals can get as large as 600 pounds and they can live to be approximately 40 years old. You will usually find them in large groups of about 30 at a time. Babies will usually spend twelve months in the mother’s womb before they are born. These types of dolphins are usually gray in color and they have a pink tint to their stomach area. Their teeth are used to tear but they do not chew.
The commerson’s dolphin also fits into the category or oceanic dolphin and it is a white and black in color. Something interesting that you may not realize is that the killer whale is actually a dolphin and it is actually one of the largest dolphins that exist. Actually, many whales are really dolphins. The average person just doe not realize this.
The river dolphin can be found in freshwater just as the Amazon. That is where you will find the Amazon River dolphin. This is the largest river dolphin that is known to exist. It is interesting to know that most river dolphins are actually endangered. Some of them have already gone extinct. Because of this, it is important to begin thinking about the environment and the pollution that is actually killing these beautiful animals. Many of the dolphins in Hong Kong are beginning to suffer from the pollution there. It makes it difficult for them to live comfortably and survive for others to enjoy their beauty.
All dolphins use the blowhole on top of their heads in order to breathe. It serves the same purpose as a humans nose. The dolphin can go without breathing for approximately eight minutes. They will usually come up out of the water twice every minute to get a breath of fresh air. It is no surprise that they need to breathe because they are mammals just like humans.
If you spend time researching the different types of dolphins you are going to find that there are so many you may feel overwhelmed. Each type has its own unique characteristics that you may enjoy learning about. You will probably be shocked to find out that more than one dolphin has been labeled as a whale. These are amazing mammals that are beautiful to watch. When you know what you are looking for and the different characteristics you will be better able to determine what type of dolphin you are looking at. You may even find out that you have seen some of the different types before and just did not realize what type it was.
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