Everything we wanted to
know about dolphins and weren’t afraid to ask
Questions and
answers with Capt. Steve Zarych and first mate Bryan Curry.
Dolphin facts
Dolphins propel
themselves through the water by swinging their tails from side to side.
Dolphins don’t
usually dive deep, although they can. Dolphins can be trained to go as much as
1,000 feet under water.
Dolphins can scare
away sharks by bumping the sharks in the side with their snout or by making a
high-pitched noise.
Dolphins can
use sound waves to locate objects. Researchers have studied this process, called
echolocation.
Dolphins that have been blindfolded with suction cups can tell even small differences
in the shape, size, and thickness of objects.
Source: World Book Encyclopedia Compiled by Andrew Garza
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What are the
living conditions for a dolphin?
A dolphin lives in the water, they like to live where the water is clean and where
there’s are a lot of fish to eat. These dolphins live in saltwater. But a species
of dolphins, the Amazon River Dolphin, lives solely in freshwater. That type of
dolphin is found in South America.
Are dolphins
scared of people?
They are really curious about people. If you watch on the trip you will see the
dolphin’s head stay above water for just a second longer than it needs to. Their
eyes can focus in the water and out of the water, so they’ll come up and stay
just a second longer and they’re checking you out and watching you just like we’re
watching them.
Why do dolphins
jump in front of ships?
There’s two different reasons. Some people say that they’re having a good time
and that there’s a wave that’s pushed in front of the boat that you can’t see;
it’s called a bow wave. The dolphins get in that bow wave and they’re surfing
just like people surf on the beach. And it pushes them outwards. Some people think
that they do it to save energy ‘cause these big ships will go out and they can
surf in that bow wave and it doesn’t cost any energy.
What’s the difference
between a porpoise and a dolphin?
The dolphins you’ll see today are Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and they have a
beak. Basically their mouth protrudes from the bottom of their head and their
jaw sticks out. Porpoises have a more rounded face almost like a human face. The
other difference is the dorsal fins. The dorsal fin (the fin on the back) on a
porpoise is more squarish. The dorsal fin on a dolphin is rounded.
What is the
habitat?
The dolphins here stay pretty much in the same place. Like for example we’ll go
around the corner out here. These particular dolphins stay on a point just the
other side of that apartment complex. So their habitat would be water about 60
feet deep with a wall and it opens out into sand.
How much do
they eat a day?
Adult dolphins that can weigh up to 600 or 700 pounds will eat 40 pounds of fish
a day.
Do dolphins
travel in groups?
Yes. Most of the time they travel in groups called pods. The pod can be anywhere
from three to 20. Lots of times they’ll travel individually, but that’s usually
the males, the older males who travel alone a lot. Offshore, they’ll travel in
groups of 100. The families stick together more offshore.
What is the
dorsal fin for?
It’s to help them stay stabilized and for visual effect where they can see each
other. ... It serves both purposes. Mostly it’s for swimming.
How powerful
are they?
Well they can swim 20 or 25 mph. They can leap out of the water ... I’ve seen
them leap about 8 feet out of the water.
Do dolphins
have gills like a fish?
Dolphins are mammals and have lungs.
How do they
breathe?
They have a hole on the top of their head called a blowhole that they breathe
in and out of. They don’t have a nose like we do. It looks like they have a nose.
They use 80 percent of their oxygen. We use about 15 percent or 16 percent.
Interviews
by Tim Puente, Adam Botello, Jessica Rodriguez and Allie Vargas
Additional sources:
Pittsburgh Zoo
