by: Amy Lemons and Katie King

Table of Contents:1 About Dolphins

2 Dolphin Babies

3 Living Together

4 Playing Around

5 Living the Life

6 Predator or Prey?

7 Interesting Facts

8 Glossary

About DolphinsDolphins are highly intelligent

marine mammals. Yes, you heard that right! Dolphins are mammals. This means they breathe air, give

birth to live young, have hair at some point in their life, and are warm-blooded. Dolphins use

their blowholes to breathe air.

blowhole

Dolphin BabiesDolphin babies are called calves.

Usually dolphins have one calf at a time. As soon as the calf is born, it needs to take its first breath. The

mother will take the calf to the surface to take a breath. Calves normally drink their mother’s milk for 1-2 years. After that, it will stay with its mother until it is

between 3 and 8 years old.

dolphin mother and calf

Living TogetherDolphins live together in social groups

called pods. There can be anywhere from five to several hundred dolphins that live in the same pod. Pods of dolphins will hunt

together. Dolphins use echolocation to find their prey. Often times, the pod will

surround a school of fish, trap them, and take turns swimming through to catch the fish. They also help each other raise and

protect their calves.

pod of dolphins

Playing AroundDolphins are well known for their

playful behavior. Many species will leap out of the water, follow ships,

and swim in and out of waves together. Dolphins have also been known to play with other animals such as dogs! Because they are highly intelligent, dolphins can be

trained to do tricks.

Living the Life!Dolphins can jump as high as 20 feet out

of the water. Many people enjoy watching dolphins swim, play, and

interact with humans. Most dolphins live in the shallow areas of tropical and temperate oceans throughout the

world. There are five species that live in the world’s rivers. However, most

dolphins live in salt water.

Predator or Prey?Dolphins consume a variety of prey

including crustaceans, fish, and squid. Even though dolphins can have anywhere from a dozen to 250 teeth, they do not use their teeth to chew their food. They use their teeth to catch their food and then they swallow it whole. Dolphins do not have a

large number of predators, but some sharks do prey on certain species of

dolphins.

Interesting Facts• Dolphins do not drink water. They

receive all the water their body needs from the fish they eat.

• Dolphins have excellent vision.• Dolphins make noises to communicate.

Many of the noises sound like whistles.

• Killer whales, or orcas, are actually a part of the dolphin family.

pod of orcas

• blowhole- the nostril of a whale on top of its head (p 1)

• crustaceans- a group of animals like lobster, shrimp, crabs, and barnacles (p 6)

• echolocation- the location of objects by reflected sounds (p 3)

• marine mammals- mammals that live in the ocean such as whales, dolphins, seals, manatees, etc. (p 1)

• pods- a school of marine animals (p 3)• prey- an animal that is hunted by another

animal (p 6)