Dolphins!!!

Dolphins are the most interesting form of aquatic life.  Most of the species live in salt water but some live in fresh water. Dolphins are meat eaters or carnivores. They are mammals, giving birth to their fully developed young one. There are 36 different species of dolphins. dolphins are classified  as follows: 

Phylum	Chordata,
Sub Phylum	Vertebrata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Cetacea
Family	Delphinidae

They are not cold blooded like fish but warm blooded animals like human beings. The average life of dolphins is 17 years. However some dolphins may live up to fifty years also. Dolphins are believed to be very intelligent. Dolphins sleep by closing one eye. While sleeping half their brain is shut. This keeps them very alert.

Female dolphins are called cows, males are called bulls and young dolphins are called calves. They eat approximately 33lbs of flesh every day. There are about 100 teeth in the mouth of a dolphin. Their teeth are meant for holding the prey but not for chewing. All the food is swallowed as a whole. They have two stomachs; one for storing food and the other for digestion.

Dolphins communicate with each other by their distinct language like clicking and whistling which would be like a human speaking in two voices, with two different pitches, holding two different conversations.

Dolphins also “see” with sounds. They emit a series of clicks and pings that travel long distances through water. When the sound hits an object, echoes are bounced back to the dolphin, enabling it to literally hear distance, shape, density, movement, and texture of an object.

Dolphins have excellent eyesight and hearing as well as the ability to use echolocation for finding the exact location of objects and food.  With “echo-location,” dolphins can distinguish between types of fish, their size and their shape. They can also  distinguish objects of different metals and their sizes and shapes.

A dolphin’s “sonar” or echo-location is rare in nature and is far superior to either the bat’s sonar or human-made sonar. It occurs through the melon in the head. This is the natural version of radar. Dolphin sonar does not seem to detect the fine threads of fishing nets. Therefore, dolphins get entangled in the fishing net and drown.

Dolphins do not have a sense of smell but they have the sense of taste. They can distinguish between sweet, sour, salty, bitter tastes. Global warming has reduced the food supply for dolphins considerably. Therefore this species is under threat. They migrate in search of food and favorable climate.

They display playful attitudes just like human beings. They are often seen jumping out of water, talking, playing, and interacting with human beings swimming in water. They are social animals Therefore they live in groups called pods. They take care of each other. They obey the rules of their group. Dolphins enjoy socializing and playing.

Dolphin's body is designed to help them move through the water quickly,  without exerting huge amounts of energy. They rely on their tail, called fluke to help them navigate through the water. Their tail is very powerful and is very useful for swimming, balancing etc…  Dolphins may be able to dive about 30 feet in the air and can swim at the rate of 25 miles per hour. Dolphins have amazing lung capacity. They can stay underwater for over 20 minutes! 

Their eyes produce “dolphin tears,” a slippery secretion which protects the eye against foreign objects and infection. Tears reduce friction between the surface of the eye and surrounding sea water.

Their skin is very sensitive to human touch and other elements in their surroundings. Dolphin’s skin is very delicate and can easily be damaged by contact with other surfaces. They have a fast healing process for their bodies even when they have deep wounds when they encounter with sharks.

Dolphins have remarkable healing power. Since they are diving mammals, the diving mechanism may cut off the blood flow to the injured parts of the body.  This helps in clotting of the blood in the injured part. Healing is faster.

During the healing process the dolphins' wounds do not show any signs of infection. Their skin is like blubber containing compounds with antibacterial properties, which may help to stop infections in the open wounds. The skin produces pain relieving, and   anti-bacterial compounds to cure their wounds.

The dolphins also do not experience pain while they are recovering from serious injuries. They eat and behave normally when they are suffering from a serious injury. During the healing process, dolphins can completely replace the missing tissue without a dent in their body shape in a matter of few weeks. They get this regenerative ability from special stem cells, like some amphibians that re-sprout limbs.

Self –healing powers of Dolphins need to researched and it will certainly give a breakthrough in modern medicine and human health care. The research may solve many human problems related to burns, injuries and cuts that happen frequently amongst the human beings. If serious research is undertaken, we may also be able extract medicines from the skin and stem cells of dolphins to solve several health hazards of human beings.

Dolphins are in fact close cousins of human beings. Therefore save them from extinction.