D.Bridget

=Hi. My name is Bridget. I am learning about the dolphin. Welcome to my page.=



** The Dolphin ** A grayish-blue speckled dolphin rescued a drowning child in the salt water near the coast when he was eating a fish because a shark was nearby. By Bridget D. 4/08 =A Dolphin’s Life= By Bridget D 4/08

Dolphins are actually small whales. They are 8 to 9 feet long and weigh 400-650 pounds. Adult males weigh 330-440 pounds. Some have grown up to 1,000 pounds. Dolphins are dark gray on the back and lighter on the sides and belly. Their body is shaped like a torpedo with a pointy beak. They have 100 sharp pointy teeth. They have a blowhole on the top of their head.

Adult dolphins eat about 14 pounds of fish, shrimp and squid each day. They can eat more than 40 pounds of fish a day. The whole pod hunts for food together.

Dolphins can live up to 50 years. Dolphins can stay under water for up to 15 minutes and can dive as deep as 650 feet. Dolphins can move backwards across the surface. Ancestors of the bottlenose dolphin swam in the ocean about 5 million years before people lived on earth.

Dolphins live in family groups called pods. They can have a small pod or large pod. The pod can have 2-15 members. They hunt and play together.

Dolphins use sounds to catch their prey. It’s called echolocation. They make sounds. The sound bounces off the fish and echoes back. They can find it even if they can’t see it.

Dolphin babies are born alive. They stay with their mother until they are 4 or 5. They are born between February and May. The babies are born tail first. They can be 1/3 the size of their mother. They are called calves. They can swim immediately after birth. They must swim up to the surface to get air. The whole pod helps take card of the babies. They drink the milk from their mom for 1 1/2 years.

The dolphins predators are hungry sharks. Killer whales and sometimes people. Dolphins get trapped in fishing nets and die because they can’t get to the surface for air.

Most dolphins live in the salt water but some live in fresh water bays or lagoons.

Why is the ocean blue? The ocean reflects the blue sky.

How many oceans are there in the world? There's only one ocean in the world.

What are the main "oceans" called? The Arctic, Atlantic,Indian, Pacific, Southern

What is a sea? A sea is like a little ocean with some land around it.

Why is the ocean salty? The salt is from rocks and soil that has washed into the ocean.