Dolphin Facts for Children

Mention some of the most fascinating marine creatures and you really cannot ignore dolphins. Yes, they are and you might have already seen their adorable facial expressions. As they are playful, fun to watch and intelligent, dolphin facts for kids are very interesting to learn about. If you love to know dolphin facts for children, scroll down to find in-depth information regarding this intriguing animal.

Interesting Dolphin Facts for Children

Most of us assume the dolphin to be a fish. Truly, it is not a fish, but dolphin is a warm-blooded, marine mammal. Closely related to the whales and porpoises, it regulates its body temperature internally and gives birth to young ones (does not lay eggs). There are more than 30 types of dolphins. Following are some dolphin information and facts for children:

Dolphin Characters
Under the smooth and slippery skin of a dolphin lies a thickened layer of fat, known as blubber. This serves a major role in regulating body temperature in accordance to their surrounding environment. All dolphins are gifted with excellent vision and thinking ability. A mind-boggling fact about dolphin is their high IQ level that matches with a human toddler.

Dolphin Size
The most popularly known dolphin to us is the bottenose type. This dolphin at birth weighs about 15-30 kg and measures 70-130 cm in length. At maturity, it weighs 150-650 kg and reaches 2-4 m in length. The male dolphin is referred to a bull, while the female is known as a cow. Consequently, the calf is used to refer a young dolphin.

Dolphin Habitat
Found all over the globe, dolphin can adapt in varied water conditions, excluding the coldest Arctic and Antarctic oceans. Much of the dolphin habitats lie in the temperate oceans and tropical oceans. It prefers to live in shallow water and coastal areas, especially in the continental shelves. Some species of dolphin even thrive in the Amazon river.

Social Nature
A dolphin is a social mammal, meaning it prefers to live in groups, known as pods. In a group, there are at least 10-12 dolphins. This socializing behavior is most prominent while hunting for fish. While gathering food, they prefer to gather fish together. One of the fun dolphin facts for kids is its resting manner. It sleeps with one eye open, so as to protect from predators.

Mode of Communication
Discussing more about dolphin facts for children, communication method is highly advanced for this mammal. It makes characteristic sound and whistle as a way for communicating themselves. According to marine scientists, each and every dolphin has a distinctive way of whistling, which differentiates itself from the others.

Living Underwater
The breathing organ of dolphin is the blowhole, which you can see on top portion of the head. While some dolphins can live underwater for as long as 30 minutes, others come to the ocean surface every 20 seconds for breathing purpose. On an average, a dolphin can live underwater for approximately 10 minutes.

Great Swimmers
Swimming and locomotion skills are some interesting facts about dolphins. They can swim at a speed of about 35 km/hr. The streamlined body makes them excellent swimmers. Scientific researches show that they had legs millions of years ago. And scientists are of the opinion that they were able to walk on land in those times.

Food Hunting
Similar to the nocturnal bats, dolphins hunt their food by means of echolocation. They sent out clicking sounds (approximately 700 clicks per second) to locate objects in and around them. This echolocation method helps them in determining the shape, size and distance of fish and other foods present in their surrounding.

Dolphin Diet
Majority of the dolphin species are true carnivorous. Squid and fish form the prime food items for dolphin. While at times of food scarcity, it devours crustaceans. A very few dolphins feed on phytoplankton of the ocean. You will find them in the coastal areas, where ample amounts of the food is available.

So, isn't dolphin information for children interesting? One of the dolphin facts for kids worth mentioning is the current threat to this amazing mammal. Marine water population, particularly oil spills and tangling in fish net are the two major threats to dolphins. I hope you like the above info on dolphin facts for children. As per Greek mythology, humans had a friendly relationship with the dolphins and killing them was an immoral act. Likewise, many myths and legends revolve around these incredible sea creatures.