23 Fun Facts About Bottlenose Dolphins That Will Astonish You
Do you love bottlenose dolphins?
Do you want to learn everything you can about them? Well we’ve prepared the ULTIMATE guide to bottlenose dolphin fun facts.
In fact, our guide has more facts (23) than any other on the internet (at the time of publication).
SO without further ado…
Here are…
23 Fun Facts About Bottlenose Dolphins That Will Astonish You:
1. What Do Bottlenose Dolphins Eat?
Bottles dolphins can eat “15-30 pounds per day of small fishes, squid, and crustaceans.”
2. Bottlenose Dolphins Don’t Chew
They eat fish and squid, whole. They always eat the head first to avoid going against the grain with the scales.
3. Can Bottlenose Dolphins See Outside of the Water?
Bottlenose Dolphins actually have great eyesight both in and out of the water.
4. Dolphins Sometimes Have Traffic Accidents
They really do! Even though it’s rare, it can happen. And when it does, it can be fatal.
5. How Long Does It Take for A Bottlenose Dolphin to Give Birth?
Dolphin labor can last anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours.
6. Dolphins Play with Their Food
They smack fish with their tail which stuns them. Then, they either repeat the process or eat it up.
7. Bottlenose Dolphins Are Like Trees
Dendrochronology is when you cut the stump of a tree to count the rings. Each ring represents one year of age.
The same process can be used to determine the age of a bottlenose dolphin by counting each layer in their teeth.
8 Where Do Bottlenose Dolphins Live?
These dolphins are found practically anywhere in the ocean where its temperate or tropical.
9. A Group of Dolphins Is Called…
Dolphins are social creatures. As such they travel in groups, called ‘pods‘. Each pod is consists of about 10-15 bottlenose dolphins.
10. How Fast Can Bottlenose Dolphins Swim?
They can reach speeds over 20 mph an hour and dive as deep as 800 feet below the surface!
11. How Long Are Bottlenose Dolphins?
Bottlenose dolphins range from 6-13 feet long.
12. How Far Can Bottlenose Dolphins Jump Out of the Water?
They can launch themselves up to 15 feet out of the water! Impressive huh?
13. How Long Can Bottlenose Dolphins Hold Their Breath?
They can hold their breath underwater for around seven minutes.
14. Do Bottlenose Dolphins Use Body Language?
They use many kinds of body language:
- Leaping out of the water
- Snapping their jaws
- Butting heads
15. Are Bottlenose Dolphins Capable of Echolocation?
Yes.
They use a series of clicks to help them find food. They can determine the location, size and even the shape through echolocation.
16. How Big is a Bottlenose Dolphin Brain?
The average bottlenose dolphin brain weighs 1500-1600 grams.
For reference, a human brain is about 1300-1400 grams (though we do have a greater brain-to-body ratio).
17. How Do Bottlenose Dolphins Give Birth?
A bottlenose dolphin calf is born tail-first to prevent drowning.
Checkout this video to see exactly how.
18. How Do Bottlenose Dolphin Sleep?
With with one eye open! How weird is that? Unlike humans, Bottlenose dolphins need to be awake to breathe.
19. Does The Military Use Bottlenose Dolphins?
Yes! In the United States and Russia, dolphins are trained to be soldiers! They are trained for marine tasks, such as locating sea mines and detecting enemy divers.
20. What Is Bottlenose Dolphins Body Temperature?
Bottlenose dolphins are warm-blooded. They actually have an internal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Same as us!
21. Dolphins Get High On Puffer Fish
No seriously! Check out this video for proof!
22. Do Bottlenose Dolphins Have a Sense of Smell?
Sadly, no.
But they have an acute sense of taste, being able to distinguish between, sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
23. Bottlenose Dolphins Are One of the Three Species That Engage in Sex for Pleasure
I just hope they wear protection. The other 2 species? Pigs and of course humans.
24. Do Bottlenose Dolphins Shed Skin?
Yes. CONSTANTLY. This helps them keep an aerodynamic finish to their skin.
25. A Bottlenose Dolphin’s Stomach Consists of Three Compartments or Chambers
The first compartment acts as storage. The second compartment, works like our stomach. It uses enzymes like hydrochloric acid to break down food.
And the third compartment prepares things for the final stage before…well…you know.
26. Dolphins Have Long Time Been a Superstition for Sailors and Fishermen
For centuries, sailors and fishermen have considered seeing dolphins at sea as a sign of good luck!
27. Dolphins Have Horizontal Tails Because of Evolution
If you’ve noticed, sharks have vertical fins, and dolphins have horizontal fins.
Ever wonder why that is?
Well, since fish developed from worms wiggling on the ground, of which a vertical tail works best with.
Dolphins evolved from land mammals. Land mammals needed to extend their stride. In order to do that, they needed a spine that flexed. A horizontal tail works best in that form.
Sources:
http://www.ngkids.co.uk/animals/dolphins
http://www.dolphins-world.com/bottlenose-dolphin-facts/
http://bottlenosedolphin.facts.co/funbottlenosedolphinfacts.php
http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/why-do-fish-have-vertical-tail-fins-and-whales-have-horizontal-ones