The Dolphin

Dolphins are mammals that live underwater. There are at least 41 diffrent species of dolphins, including the bottlenose dolphin, the atlantic white, and the spinner dolphin.

Baby dolphins, called calves, are born tail-first. They are one of the only mammals to do this regularly. Dolphins have one baby at a time, and occasionally twins. the gestation period is about 11 months. When a dolphin is having a baby, another dolphin will help, acting as a midwife. Babies are born underwater, and the mother pushes the baby up when it is born, to help it get it's first breath.

Dolphins eat fish, squids, and crustaceans like shrimp. They eat 5% of their body weight daily, and they swallow food whole, without bothering to chew.

Dolphins breath through a blowhole on top of their heads. This hole extends to their lungs. The area around the blowhole is the only place on a dolphin's body that there is hair, even though a dolphin is a mammal. The rest of the body is covered in blubber, which keeps a dolphin warm.





sources: http://www.dolphins-world.com/
http://www.acpathope.org/student%20sites%202009/Dolphin%20LRF/Unnamed%20Site%2012/reproduction.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002260F/DolphinsFood.htm