Dolphin Observation Report

To go for an actual skeleton tour and see these specimens so intact and will preserved is surreal. This tour showed me how little I now, I did not even now that dolphins have advance bone structure, and how bone structures make them look and function differently in life. So this turn to be fun learning experience and have changed my perception of since learning, comparing skeletons is fun and for a while I forgot I was working on an assignment. The set-up of the skeletons were great, an excellent overall learning environment, very informative and interesting at the same time.
The common most popular types of dolphins are; the common dolphin and the Dall’s porpoise dolphin. The two might be so much similar for one to spot a difference easily. This essay highlights the difference between the two species based on the morphological structures. The difference in the common dolphin

and the Dall’s porpoise dolphin is not only in the name, but the two also come from totally different families of cetaceans.
Though the two species look the same, they can be easily distinguished using their common morphological features. The common dolphins exhibit features of a more curved dorsal fin compared to the Dall’s porpoise dolphin. The porpoise, however, have a triangular shaped dorsal fin. The rostrum of the common dolphin is also longer than the Dall’s porpoise dolphin which has a shorter one. Another main distinguishing feature that can be used is the teeth. The common dolphins have cone-shaped teeth, the Dall’s porpoise have flat and spade-like teeth.
The two types of dolphins have their structures adapted to the adapted environment.

The Dolphins have a blowhole that helps it take air at the surface. The blowhole has a flap that provides an airtight seal when the dolphin deeps itself in water. The Dolphins have wide fins that help them maintain balance in the water, this also helps them be first swimmers, his is essential in hunting and escape in case of a predator. The wide fins are also adapted to any water terrain. The same fins are also used for hunting and defense purposes. They also have clear and sharp eyesight both under and above the water. The sharp eyesight helps much during hunting and hiding. The Dolphins also have two stomachs; they are adapted in such a way that the first stomach holds the food temporarily as the second digests it. This eases and increases the efficiency of digestion. Dolphins also have a bigger brain. The big brain is specially designed for sound processing. Dolphins use the technique of echo hunting to spot their prey from a far distance. They can process a low sound coming from

far.
On comparing dolphins to ostriches, though they lack similar structures, their structures work more or less the same way. An ostrich has long muscular legs. The ostrich also has the supple tread feet. This provides the tortoise with agility and ability to traverse different terrain. The legs are to enable the ostrich support its weight and run first too. The same way dolphins have wide and strong fins. The fins help in water speed and balance. The ostrich’s eyes are almost on the side of the head. This enables the ostriches to have almost a three hundred and sixty watches around them, and this helps protect them from danger. The three hundred and sixty-degree watch also gives the ostrich a better advantage of spotting her prey before the prey spots it. The Dolphins compensate this by having great eyesight. They can see long distances both below and above the water. Ostriches and dolphins therefore also show similarities on how their morphological structures are adapted to their habitats.
The main difference between the common dolphin and the porpoise is that dolphins have curved dorsal fins; they have longer noses, bigger mouths and leaner bodies than the Dall’s porpoise dolphins. The structures adaptions can also be compared to an ostrich’s structures.