Is a dolphin a fish or a mammal?

Many people have probably wondered at one time or another: is a dolphin a fish or a mammal? After all, like many fish, they inhabit oceans and seas and lead a similar lifestyle. However, dolphins are aquatic mammals, belonging to the class Cetacea.

This animal's relatives include whales and killer whales. Its more ancient, now extinct, ancestors are believed to be sea otters, predators that, like dolphins, lived in the water.

The main features of a mammal

This species of animals is diverse, extensive and There are about 50 different speciesDolphins are ancient mammals that arouse genuine fascination in humans. They are considered intelligent and understanding creatures.

The appearance of dolphins is somewhat unusual for a sea creatureIts body lacks scales like fish; on the contrary, its skin is streamlined and slippery, making the animal well adapted to both the depths and the surface of water.

Description and characteristics of dolphins:

• These mammals are flexible, muscular, and very agile. Unlike ordinary fish, dolphins have unusual fins on their lower and back.
• The head is medium-sized. The muzzle is tapering, with a distinct transition from the forehead to the nose.
• The mammal has poor eyesight. Its small eyes do not hinder it in tracking prey.
• These mammals lack nostrils. They've adapted well to water, so they don't need a nasal opening. The "blowhole," through which the mammal obtains the necessary air, is located on the parietal surface. This opening is responsible for allowing the animal to breathe underwater.
• They don't have ears as such. This is clearly visible to the naked eye, but despite this, these animals have excellent hearing.
• The mammal possesses echolocation. Thanks to this ability, the animal can easily locate an object using sound waves. The sound they produce can be compared to crackling, chirping, or clicking. Their whistling is also unique and varied. Each sound represents a specific action, a thought. Experiments have also shown that intelligent dolphins are capable of assigning and recognizing names.
• Dolphins have small teeth. There are about 60 of them in their mouth.

Skin and color of a mammal

The color of the animal can be varied.

• Solid color (gray, pink, black).
• Two-tone (black and white shades).

These mammals are very nimble and energetic, they move through water at high speed This causes the upper layers of skin to wear out. Therefore, dolphins have a deep layer of skin that is constantly renewed. This process is very rapid, with the upper and lower layers being replaced within 24 hours. Skin cells are constantly dividing, and around 30 layers of skin can be replaced in a day. Continuous shedding is the primary condition of these intelligent mammals.

Intelligence

A little-known but much-discussed aspect is how intelligent these animals are. Almost the entire life of a mammal is free time, when they can do whatever they want. They spend it on fun games, communication, and even sex. These mammals love to jump out of the water, spin, and twist. Despite their carefree existence, dolphins are considered highly intelligent mammals, as they are able to communicate, think, follow commands, and even rescue people.

The animal's brain, relative to its body proportions, is large, and compared to monkeys, dolphins' brains are much larger. Research has also revealed that The mammal has a highly developed vocabulary of soundsNot to mention self-awareness, emotional empathy, social development, mutual support and mutual assistance.

Nutrition

Dolphins' main food is undoubtedly fish. They prefer to eat small fish such as anchovies and sardines.

It's also worth mentioning how they catch their prey. First, a pod of dolphins use their main weapon - echolocation, scanning the water for fish. Then, if a school is detected, they approach at high speed, emitting a sonic signal that panics the fish and causes them to cluster together. This is where these intelligent mammals excel. Working together, they catch their prey. The potential for this type of hunting is enormous. Mammals are capable of catching almost an entire school of fish.

Reproduction

Dolphins reproduce throughout the year. They mate while moving, and the birth of their offspring also occurs while moving.

The female's pregnancy lasts from 10 to 18 months. Usually, the baby is born about 60 cm in length, tail outward. The newborn is so developed that from the very first minutes it begins to follow its mother. Learning within its pack, the animal grows smarter, develops, learns to hunt fish, communicates, and soon begins to forage for its own food.

Enemies of the animal

The most evil The shark is considered to be the dolphin's enemy, as is the case with all ocean inhabitants., as well as some mammal relatives (killer whales). Humans have also been hunting dolphins since ancient times. Indigenous peoples of the north caught the mammals and extracted only their meat. This is a high degree of cruelty. Today, in some countries, the barbaric tradition of dolphin hunting remains.

These mammals are dying due to human activities. Animals often get caught in fishing nets.They die from oil spills at sea. Wounds caused by ship propellers affect the lives of dolphins and their deaths. Humans contribute to all of this, even if unwittingly, but they have made significant efforts to contribute to the dolphin's extinction. Some of them are already listed as endangered.

Dolphinariums, water parks with complex animal training, all this contributes to the destruction of these intelligent mammalsThis is worth thinking about.