Introductory Page I chose dolphins because they are such elegant creatures, even though wild dolphins are often dangerous. Dolphins are my favorite creatures in the world, and people ought to respect them more. They are the second smartest animal in the world. They nurture their young for most of their lives. They also socialise with any creature, unless they show signs of harm. Dolphins make very popular playmates and will come up to humans for almost anything. They rely on each other to live. They learn quickly and communicate well with one another. God designed dolphins with unique physical features and behaviors in order to glorify Him. Physical Characteristics of a Striped Dolphin Striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba, are some of the most abundant and well-known dolphins in the world. These dolphins can reach the length of about 9 ft (2.7 m). The males weigh up to 350 lbs (160 kg). The females weigh 330 lbs (150 kg). Striped dolphins have a slender body shape combined with a long beak, which is separated from their forehead, and they also have a curved dorsal fin. The beak, tapered flipper, tail, and back, or cape, are dark blue/gray. The name “Stenella coeruleoalba” refers to the pattern of blue and white stripes along the lateral and dorsal fins of their body. Their underbelly (ventral) is usually white. Their primary feature is a black stripe that runs along their full length and to their flippers. There is also a dark blue patch around the eyes. Calves and juveniles may have more muted colorations and patterns. Physical Characteristics of a Bottlenose Dolphin A bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncates, has a streamlined body. A dolphin's outer skin layer (epidermis) is about 10 to 20 times thicker than the... ... middle of paper ... ...legal fishing, caught in fishing nets, collisions with boats and or propellers, and marine pollution. The subsequent captivity of dolphins in research and aquarium facilities contributes to their deaths. Works Cited Work Citied Books: • Jefferson, T. A, M. A. Webber, and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine Mammals of the World, A Comprehensive Guide to their Identification. Amsterdam, Elsevier. p. 241-244. • Shirihai, H. and B. Jarrett (2006). Whales, Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals of the World. Princeton, Princeton University Press. p.185-188. Websites: • The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS)., n.d. Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://seamap.env.duke.edu/species/tsn/180434 • International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, n.d. Web. 29 Mar 2012. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/20731/0
In the past twenty years a large amount of bottlenose dolphin have been killed due to the tuna fishery. In the Eastern Pacific swim large schools of tuna, these shoals tend to be under herds of dolphins, for some unexplained reason. Because of this, fishermen can easily find schools of tuna. The tuna are being caught under purse seine nets, which encircles the shoals of tuna and then is pulled back on board the fishing vessel, catching both tuna and dolphin. Initially the mortality rate was 500,000 each year for dolphins alone. Although some efforts are made to encourage the dolphins to leave the net by backing down part of the net, which allows the dolphins to escape, there are still a large number of mortalities (Bryant). On the other hand, in the last few years there has been dramatic progress in stopping the fishing industries from using purse sine nets. It has been found that dolphins are in immediate danger of extinction if these fishing techniques don’t stop.
When an intelligent animal accustomed to swimming in thousands of miles of open ocean is placed in an environment only twice its size, is separated from its species, and is forced to perform tricks, there are bound to be consequences. The captivity of these animals should be banned and National Reserves and whale tours should be used to educate the public while admiring these animals' true beauty. There are few experiences more meaningful than witnessing a killer whale enjoying the freedom of the open ocean.
Orcinus orca is the scientific name for the massive marine mammal. Orcas are not rare, but have declining numbers in some areas (Martin.) Orcas are found from the Artic Ocean to the Antartic Ocean. (Britannica) They belong to the Delphinidae, or dolphin family, which is the largest of their species. Female orcas grow to be at the most 15 feet, and weigh up to 4 tons, but the males can grow as large as 20-30 feet, and weight up to 8 tons. (Martin) The color of the orca is white in some spots, black on the majority of the body, and gray just behind the dorsal fin. It is white on the chin, belly and the eye. The white patch above the eye is usually mistaken for the eye, and may confuse their prey, but acts as a camouflage for the eye. The name “killer whale” makes people tend to believe that this is a viscious man-eating mammal, yet it is one of the most shrewd, docile and playful species of the marine mammals. The orca is sexually mature at 10-15 years of age, much like humans, which is 12-13 years of age. They tend to mate year round, and is able to have a calf every two years. It is interesting to know that lactation of the mother lasts 12 or more months (Wynne.) The life expectancy of orcas is 45-50 years of age.
Bottlenose dolphins became part of a United States Navy program in 1959 for the purpose of conducting scientific research into their sonar and hydrodynamics in hopes of getting design ideas for submarines, ship hulls and weapons. It was discovered dolphins hear and navigate in the water by using their natural sonar, which happened to be more precise than most fabricated sonar systems. In the mid-sixties, Navy dolphins were used as mail carriers to underwater laboratories in their home of San Diego, California.
In conclusion, education, research and conservation is a very important role that we can make to improve the lives of Orca whales, but at what cost? When you have to take an animal out of its natural habitat and deprive it of all its natural instincts, cause unnecessary emotional and physical problems, and put the lives of the whales and their trainers at risk, what are we learning? That it’s okay to possess them merely for our entertainment and profit? A wild animal’s life remains destroyed and many lives have ended, all for dangerous entertainment.
The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.
Did you know that spinner dolphins are often found in warm waters? They live far away from land. The hawaiian and costa rican dolphins live near land. They live in pods of 1,000 members.They love to ride and jump on bow waves.They may travel with yellowfin tuna. Spinners go about dive 300 ft during the day to find prey but can dive up to 800 ft into utter darkness. It can hold its breath to 5-10 minutes. Spinner dolphins love to jump, flip, and twist above the surface.Their color is pink, gray, black, and a cream white. Spinner dolphins are smaller and more energetic than most other dolphins. Their food is fish, shrimp,and squid are their favorite meal. They live in the Pacific, Atlantic,and Indian ocean. They weigh about 50-175 lbs. They are about 4 ½-8ft long. Their snout is about 61/2ft long. At night they go deeper to find food. In the morning, they move back to the shallow water to rest. Spinner dolphins scientific name is stenella longirostris. They can spin up to seven-and-a-half revolutions in the 1.25 seconds they're in the air. Spinning is the defining art of this species. Females are really good mothers to their calf. Females sexually mature near 4-7yrs.The females nurture their young for 2yrs. They communicate by clicks and whistles. Each dolphin has its own frequency, so they can be told apart in a large group. When they migrate they go to the shore. Spinner dolphins are known as the acrobats of the sea. They are also known as playful dolphins. They have a dark stripe to the eye to the flipper. They can be in tropical and subtropical. They can be in 40 degrees in south & north. The species are divided in 7 subspecies. Spinner dolphins have 45-65 teeth. Spinner dolphins sail 3-4 ft out of the w...
Above the zoos and aquariums, who are just as guilty of exploiting animals for business, is SeaWorld. Since its inception in 1964, SeaWorld has been able to create a public image to the American general public that they treasure the protection of amphibious mammals like seals, otters and above all else, whales. The marine-mammal-themed amusement park has attracted millions of customers worldwide to see the likes of Shamu and Tilikum. What SeaWorld refuses to admit to the public and organizations like the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA), are inadequate living conditions for the animals, disturbing truths in the cooperation’s breeding practices, and how entertainment value is above all else. Although the extinction of the whale is a foreseeable consequence without proper protection, SeaWorld is contributing more to the problem than any amount of money they give to ORCA and other organizations.
The Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, is part of the marine mammals group. They are found in oceans all over the world, they live in open waters. Even though they are mammals, they do not live on land (Monterey Bay Aquarium). Humpback whales are known for their magical song that can travel great distances. These gentle giants are omnivores, their main diet is krill. They are mostly found near coastlines feeding on tiny shrimp-like krill, plankton and small fish. Humpbacks migrate annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding water closer to the Equator. Humpback whales are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fin, called a fluke to propel themselves through or even out of the water! Mothers and their young swim close together, often touching one another with their flippers with what appears to be gestures of affection. Even though it takes more than one year for a humpback whale to grow fully, mother whales leave them after one year (National Geographic).
The morphology of whale sharks is mostly similar to aquatic fish species, but many specific traits help differentiate them from the rest. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and can reach a size of around 20 meters (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). This is often compared to the size of a school bus. The shark has a very large transverse mouth. They have 5 very large gill slits and have a larger first dorsal fin compared to the second one (Whale Shark). They have a distinctive spotted “checkerboard” pattern with stripes (Martins, C., and C. Knickle). It is not exactly known why they have this specific body marking. It is believed that the body markings act as a camouflage. The strange thing about whale sharks is that they have 300 rows of teeth that play no role in feeding (Martins, C., and C. Knickle).
The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) has had a slow recovery since the cessation of commercial...
Dolphins are well known for their agility and playful behavior in the wildlife of all the oceans in the world. They have many characteristics, and also there are a variety of different types and kinds of dolphins, which make them very intelligent creatures. Dolphins are smart marine mammals and great swimmers. They are known to be very friendly to humans and other wildlife creatures, dolphins often display a playful attitude which makes them popular to human nature and the culture. They can be seen jumping out of the water,riding waves, play fighting and occasionally interacting with people swimming in the water. Dolphins love hanging along the sea shores of all beaches around the coast, where it is warm and tropical(Fun dolphin facts).Dolphins are believed to be the most intelligent animals on earth
Sikes, Roberts. and William L. Gannon. "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research." Journal of Mammalogy 92.1 (Feb. 2011): 235-253. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.
When Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins are first born, they are dark gray and get lighter as they grow older, sometimes this will cause spots (WCD). According to Whitfield on page 114, when the Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphin is young it has a normal streamlined body figure, but when it grows older it start to form fatty tissue humps. They have the average lifespan of 40 years (WCD). The Indo-Pacific dolphin can be between 6 ½ feet to 10 feet long with 120 teeth in their long beak. Using their long beak to eat, these dolphins swim up to the shallow waters and hunt for fish (Whitfield 114). Indo-Pacific dolphins are not the only type of dolphins that pray on the
The difficulty in tracing this species evolutionary history stems from the fact that its ancestry dates back 245 million years ago to the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Additional Interest Whale sharks have no real means of defending themselves and warding off attacks from the larger predators such as killer whales or the great white shark. The whale sharks means of defense is its thick skin. The whale shark has the thickest skin of any animal on the planet, and this is its only means of defense. Conclusion Rhincodon typus live in warm temperate seas, primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates.