1. Dolphins
Anatomy, ecology, behavior and popularity

2. Some Background Info:
There are about 60 different species of dolphin
Dolphins cannot smile
Trivia:
The name dolphin is applied to species that have beaklike snout and slender body and the name porpoise is given to species that have blunt snouts and a stocky body.
US military trained dolphins to detect mines in the Gulf
3. Anatomy
Brain and Sense Organs
Locomotion
Feeding
4. Brainand Sense Organs
Brain is Large and Developed
5. Nose, Eyes, and Ears
Almost no sense of smell
Eyes are well developed
Ears are most important sense
6. Communication
Do not emit sounds with voice box
Sounds pass through tissues of the head
Sounds can travel hundreds of miles
Fatty Organ: Melon
Echolocation
7. Locomotion
Swing tail through the water
Forelimbs used for navigating
Fins resemble flat oars (five fingers)
Dorsal fin stabilizes body
8. Locomotion continued
Tail Fluke
Body is efficient for locomotion
Must come to the surface for air
My0globin
9. Feeding
Prong-like teeth
Fish, Crustaceans, squid and mollusks
10. Behavior
11. Consciousness
Aware of their own body image, thus able to copy human movements
Recognize abstract images of the human body
Possess self awareness
12. Dolphin at play
13. Behavior continued
Can use tools both in captivity and in the wild
Live in schools/sometimes composed of diff. species
Cooperative Hunting
Females have offspring every 3-6 yrs
Reach 50 yrs of age
14. School of dolphins
15. Ecology
16. Habitat
Tropical/temperate oceans
Freshwater
Warm seas
17. Popularity
18. Held in Captivity
Dolphins used in tourism
Used for breeding, tricks, research etc
Kept in sea pens, aquaria's
Used in feeding programs or swimming with the dolphins
19. Welfare
Capture can be stressful and dangerous
Mortality rate increased 6 fold
Do not live as long as their wild counterparts
Behavior abnormalities due to captivity include:
Aggressiveness, increased sexual behavior, self harming, and vomiting.
20. Welfare continued
Reasons for early death include:
Physical injury, shock, ulcers, heat stroke etc
Habitats designed to appeal to tourists and not to the animals needs
Confined to small swimming pools
21. Dolphin in aquarium