Bottle-Nose Dolphin "Intelligence"

Bottle-Nosed Dolphin

Tursiops truncates

"Intelligence"

Dolphins, aquatic mammals belonging to the whale family, are popularly noted for their grace, intelligence, playfulness and friendliness to man.

Usually gray in color with paler shades on their undersides, dolphins have a well-defined beaklike snout and are easily identified by their "built in smile".

A very social creature, dolphins live in groups and their friendly cooperative behavior is vital to their survival. When a dolphin is sick or injured, cries of distress summon immediate aid for support to the surface to it can breathe.

Dolphins eat a wide variety of fish. To help locate large schools of fish, they will leap in the air to spot the location of hunting seabirds whose presence shows where the fish are. When large schools of fish are present, as many as several hundred dolphins will cooperate in catching the fish by communicating with one another. They will drive the fish into a dense mass and force them to the waters surface where it will be impossible for escape. Dolphins communicate with whistles and clicks and spend a large part of the day playing.

Dolphins mate in the spring and summer with females giving birth to a single calf about 10-12 months later. Other dolphins will surround the mother to assist in delivery and protect mother and baby from shark attacks, as they would be attracted to the scene by the blood released during birth.