About Dolphins

Dolphins are mammals, not fish. They are warm blooded like man, and give birth to one baby called a calf at a time. At birth a bottlenose dolphin calf is about 90-130 cms long and will grow to approx. 4 metres, living up to 40 years.They are highly sociable animals, living in pods which are fairly fluid, with dolphins from other pods interacting with eachother from time to time.

With the help of several beautiful bottlenose dolphins we can see how well the dolphin body is adapted for their life in the ocean

Dolphins use their powerful tail flukes in an up and down motion to move through the water. They also use their tails when hunting, hitting a fleeing fish up into the air with their tail, stunning it, then scooping the fish up when it falls back into the water. A dolphin slapping its tail on the water in the wild may be a sign of annoyance, or a warning to other dolphins of danger.

Just how powerful their tail muscles are is demonstrated here

Their pectoral flippers are used to steer them through the water, and they also use them to stroke one another, increasing the social bond between them. Dolphin "friends" may swim along face to face touching flippers. Dolphins that appear to be closely bonded may swim in synchrony, twisting, turning and swimming in perfect harmony together.

Their teeth are interlocking rows of conical pegs, suitable for holding slippery fish. They eat their fish whole, head first. In the wild an open mouth is a sign of aggression, as is head nodding. A sign of greater aggression is violent jaw clapping.

Dolphins breathe through their blowhole located at the top of their head. A dolphin may empty and refill its lungs in less than a fifth of a second. As the dolphin breathes the air leaves the blowhole at speeds of over 100mph. Complex nerve endings around the blowhole sense pressure changes so the dolphin knows exactly when the blowhole is in or nearing the air and can be opened. Water in a dolphin's blowhole will actually drown it so powerful muscles close the blowhole as it dives under the water again.

The dolphin's eyes produce a special slippery secretion which protects the eyes from foreign objects and water friction. To sleep, a dolphin must shut down only half of its brain, as its breathing is under voluntary control. Dolphins take short cat-naps, floating just below the surface, then slowly rising to breathe. Often dolphins are very active during night time, for some this is their main feeding time.

The dolphin's skin is completely smooth allowing the dolphin to move easily through the water, and also reduce heat loss. Their skin may bear rake marks from other dolphins teeth during play or mating, and can easily become badly sunburnt if they strand. Their bodies are very streamlined so they may swim at high speeds through the water, and an example of this is their ears. Dolphin's ears are barely noticeable marked only by a small hole just behind the eye. In a bottlenose dolphin the ear is about 5-6 cms behind the eye and only 2-3 mm in diameter.

Dolphins are able to dive to great depths, and also leap to great heights. They may leap to avoid predators or to show how powerful they are to females at mating time. Noisy splashing jumps may also be used to herd fish. Bottlenose dolphins can dive to depths of over 1,640 ft (500m).

The life of a dolphin

Dolphins carry their young inside their womb and gestation is about 12 months for a bottlenose. The baby emerges tail first, and will suckle from its mother for up to 4 years (a calf may stop suckling sooner depending on circumstances).

The baby will however stay with its mother for between 3-6 years, during which time it learns all about feeding techniques, social interaction and group foraging. Females are likely to stay within the family pod with their mother and sisters, though males will leave and form associations with other males. Dolphins have defined home ranges, an area in which they will roam and feed. Though dolphins live in small groups called pods, these pods can be quite fluid and dolphins can be seen interacting with dolphins from other pods from time to time. If another dolphin is drowning, other dolphins will come to it's aid, supporting it with their bodies so it's blowhole is above the water allowing it to breathe. Dolphins main predators are sharks and unfortunately man, through direct killing for food,netting, pollution, and fishing. Dolphins spend a large part of their day looking for food, or actually feeding. They may either hunt alone, or together as a pod. They use their echolocation (sonar system) to locate fish by sending out a stream of pulses and clicks. Dolphins communicate with eachother by whistling or body language. When a baby is first born, some dolphin research suggests a mother dolphin will whistle to it constantly, imprinting her sound on the baby so it will recognize her, and the baby learns to develop its own signature whistle. It is thought that each dolphin has its own individual signature whistle, just like a name.

The past

We all love to see dolphins and for many people the only way in the past to do this was by visiting an aquarium. However aquariums varied in their care and housing of the dolphins in the past, and some may have been quite substandard. And tragically, in the past many of these dolphins were mostly violently captured from the wild, taken away from their families and forced to live in small barren tanks. Records show that at least 2700 bottlenose dolphins have been taken into captivity worldwide. Statistics I have read (from Dolphin Project Europe) say that 53% of captive dolphins who survived the violent capture died within 90 days. And that half of all captured dolphins died within their first two years of captivity. Those that did survive longer lasted an average of only 5 years. Every seven years, half of all dolphins in captivity used to die from capture shock, pneumonia, intestinal disease, ulcers, chlorine poisoning, and other stress-related illnesses. Thankfully a number of countries have now stopped or reduced the capture of wild dolphins and knowledge and conditions are vastly improving but not everywhere. There are still many countries where conditions for captive dolphins are well below standard. You may be shocked to hear that there may still be travelling road shows involving hauling dolphins and sealions around from city to city in lesser developed countries, or of a dolphinarium open to the public during the daytime, while at night a discotheque with loud thumping music. These are just two examples, in less developed countries particularly there may be many more.

"When a thing exists which you really abhor, I wish you would remember a little whether in letting it strictly alone are you minding your own business on principle, or simply because it is comfortable to do so". Quote by John Galsworthy.

Ashort list of where to see dolphins in the wild

A wild dolphin jumps for joy

Its possible to view dolphins in the wild all around the world. Here are a just a few examples.
Western Australia: Mandurah , Monkey Mia, Ningaloo Reef, Rockingham, Bunbury, Esperance
Eastern Australia: Moreton Bay, Fraser Island, Hervey Bay, Port Phillip Bay, Jervis Bay, Port Stephens, Forster
New Zealand: Kaikoura, Whakatane, Bay of Islands, Malborough Sound, Coromandel Peninsula, Akaora
Moorea, Tahiti
Lanai, Hawaii
USA- Key West,Florida, Panama City Beach, Galveston Texas, Channel Islands, Monterey, in the waters off New Jersey, Oceanside California,Delaware Bay & Carolina
In the waters off mexico
Dingle Bay, or the Shannon Estuary, Ireland
Moray Firth, Scotland
Cardigan Bay, Wales, Durlston, and Cornwall England
Gibraltor
Bahamas (white sand ridge)
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Turks and Caicos, West Indies
Azores Islands (eg off Faial and also Pico)
São Miguel Island Futurismo Azores Whale Watching
In the waters off hua-lien ,the east coast of taiwan.
In the waters off South Africa
In the Black Sea off the coast of Georgia and Crimea peninsula.
In the Red Sea Eygpt Wild and Free

Would you like to swim with wild dolphins? experience it in western australia or or here

If you are lucky enough to see dolphins in the wild please remember these simple rules:

* Do not harass the dolphins-give them space.
They are very powerful animals and are not there for your amusement.

* Never attempt to feed a wild dolphin.
It is illegal and could easily result in the dolphins death through incorrect food or bacteria in the fish.

* Do not throw rubbish in the ocean or on the beach, and please clean up any that you see.
Many dolphins die from swallowing foreign objects.

* Many dolphins are injured by boat motors.
Make sure the boat you are in drives carefully near dolphins

The amazing Fungie - A friendly wild dolphin

He is a major tourist attraction and thousands of people have visited him, many swimming with him by simply swimming out from the shore. Fungie only permits those he trusts to touch him, but he does initiate many games particularly with boats. He has been known to completely jump over small boats, or surprise the people inside by bobbing up on either side, or drenching them with water from a large jump. He may play tricks on those who swim with him as well by approaching them from behind, nudging them on the shoulder and surprising them. If ignored, he may tug on a divers flippers. He has also been known to gently peck at face masks to gain swimmers attention. Fungie has been seen "playing" with surprised birds, swimming up underneath one and flipping it into the air,then rushing over to the spot where it will land, to begin again.

He loves to play with paddles and many a kayaker has spent hours playing with Fungie. He also seems to adore to escort boats to and from the bay, and has some special favourites.People from all over Ireland and the world go to Dingle to see him, and so he is constantly surrounded with visitors, and boats. However, he is still in the same bay and has not chosen to disappear yet, even after all these years since his arrival in 1984.

Many thanks to International Dolphin Watch for the great pics of Fungie above. Copyright IDW.

More wild solitary dolphins and their human friend

Dr. Horace Dobbs has written many books regarding many of the wild solitary dolphins around the world. After first meeting such a dolphin named Donald, who after some time was so trusting of Horace that he would give his young son free rides & tows, Horace has devoted his life to dolphins. Originally in full-time medical research, he gave it all up to work to protect and increase the public's awareness of wild dolphins, and now his life has gone full circle as he investigates the joy they bring into people's lives. His first book, "Follow a wild dolphin" in 1977 was all about Donald, and since then he has written other books about his meetings and close encounters with many other wild solitary dolphins such as Percy & Freddie in UK, Simo in Wales, Jean-Louis in France , Jo-Jo in Turks, and of course Fungie. If you are interested in reading true accounts about these wild dolphins, I highly recommend you read any of Horace's books, you wont regret it. His books include "Tale of Two dolphins" (about Percy), "Dance to a Dolphin's Song" (about Simo and Fungie),and "Journey into Dolphin Dreamtime" (about Freddie and Jo Jo).Ask at your bookshop, local library, or from Horace's home page link on page 4.

International Dolphin Watch and The Virtual Dolphin Project

International Dolphin Watch headed by Dr. Horace Dobbs is a non profit organisation for the study and conservation of dolphins. By becoming a member you receive regular newsletters full of news of wild dolphins around the world, places to see dolphins and tours, updates on ongoing campaigns against poor captive situations, updates on their other dolphin projects, penpals, and the chance to participate at what level you wish in the joy of dolphins with others from around the world. You can join IDW online by following the link here

The Virtual Dolphin Project is a non-profit corporation 501(c)3 (application pending) who's team is dedicated to exploring the uplifting experience of cetaceans as a whole and to finding new and creative ways of bringing this joy to ill or disabled children who cannot have the opportunity to experience dolphins in the wild. They seek to do this by replicating the experience using modern technology.