Queens of the Oceans-The Dolphins

These mammals are not as intelligent as humans but don’t consider them any lesser. Their brain to body size ratio is only next to humans. Dolphins are very playful & smart animals. In 1985 three researchers on a marine expenditure got a little bored. While in the boat they decided to put up a small act. One of them pretended to be Poseidon , by placing a sea weed on his head. Later he threw it in the water. Moments later a dolphin surfaced the water with the seaweed on his head. Coincidence? Or was it mimicking the researcher?

There have been incidences recorded that these creatures have saved lives of drowning humans by getting them to the surface to breathe. They are one of the few members of mammalian world which can recognize themselves in the mirror. They even mourn the dead! Yes. Dolphins have been seen to show respect to the dead & also have some funerals. 

Ok now something about their source of energy. There are 86 different species of dolphins & all have different food. The only thing common is that they feed on fish. Most of them feed on salmon, mackerel. All dolphins have teeth but they do not chew their food. They just grab, bite & swallow. Dolphins show an interesting hunting pattern. This is known as hurdling. They hunt in cooperation. A dolphin designated as ‘the net-maker’ kicks up the mud while the other gives a signal for other dolphins to assemble & simultaneously catch up the escaping fish. Interesting right? This also proved that dolphins do have some kind of internal communication. Dolphins do pass their communication & other skills from one generation to the other. Different species have different ways of greeting each other. Each species has its own way of hunting, unique tactics & techniques. Thus they show a wide range of vocalization. Dolphins communicate with whistle-like sounds produced by vibrating connective tissue, similar to the way human vocal cords .function, and through burst-pulsed sounds, though the nature and extent of that ability is not known. Dolphin echolocation clicks are amongst the loudest sounds made by marine animals. Bottlenose dolphins have been found to have signature whistles , unique to every individual. These creatures also have a very sharp memory. A study conducted proved that dolphins could understand the difference between bringing the ball to the basket & taking the ball away from it. 

Dolphins are also very playful. They have also been seen harassing birds. They drag birds underwater without the intent of eating them. As mentioned earlier there have been incidents recorded of dolphins saving humans. Even after this level of compassion humans do not hesitate in consuming dolphin meat. Captivating, imprisoning them we must reconsider our actions. Destroying their homes, reducing their habitats & breeding grounds makes it difficult for them to survive. There are various NGOs thriving today to protect dolphins. Here is a link to one such organization.

https://www.wwfindia.org/who_we_are/work_with_us/coordinator_freshwater_dolphin_conservation_/