Dolphins are not fish and other interesting facts about these cetaceans

And although we have long known about their extraordinary capabilities, we carefully study animals, it seems that there are no fewer questions. Some interesting facts about dolphins.

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Dolphins are not fish, but artiodactyl animals

It is naive to assume that all aquatic inhabitants with a tail and fins should be considered fish. And although dolphins have a lot in common with them, they are much closer to us humans. These creatures are mammals belonging to the infraorder cetaceans. Moreover, according to the scientific classification, dolphins belong to the order of artiodactyls. The closest relatives of dolphins can be considered whales and sea cows, and a little more distant – hippos.

Unlike fish, dolphins do not have scales, and their entire body is covered with smooth skin. Yes, and the fins have a different structure – they contain the humerus and something like the phalanges of the fingers. And even the hair inherent in mammals, dolphins have. The cubs grow “antennae”, which make it possible to find their mother. But over time, this vegetation disappears. Dolphins also have lungs, these creatures may well drown. Marine mammals do not spawn, but feed their young with milk.

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Manifestations of intelligence

It is enough to watch the dolphins for a short time and understand how smart they are. It is no coincidence that so much research is being done on these creatures. Most often, representatives of the most famous and widespread species, bottlenose dolphins, turned out to be in the field of view of scientists. Studying the intelligence of dolphins frankly surprised.

Even captive dolphins can remember whistles of different tones for years. What’s more, animals can imitate sounds made by computers. Biologists have tried to associate sounds with objects like a ball or a hoop. Dolphins quickly understand this connection and call the right objects with vocalizations. In fact, this can be considered learning a new vocabulary. Yes, and wild dolphins show similar capabilities, designating each other with a signature sound and remembering it for many years.

Proof of high intelligence was the passage of two bottlenose dolphins in 2001 in a test with a mirror in the New York aquarium. Scientists marked the bodies of dolphins in the form of geometric shapes. Animals studied their new appearance in the mirror for a long time, which suggests the fact of recognizing their personality. But very few animals are capable of this.

Dolphins and love

It turns out that love is not an empty phrase for dolphins either. Some species are very romantic – during the courtship period, males give females gifts in the form of algae, coral pieces or sponges. Of course, these items have no value, but the ritual itself is important. And some males take care differently – they keep their girlfriends in solitude, driving them away from the family and even preventing them from feeding. And all for the sake of consent to intimacy. And sexual dissatisfaction can turn dolphins into real killing machines.

You can think of dolphins as cute as you like, but with the onset of the mating season, the animal’s brain begins to obey ancient instincts. The fight for females is not like a game or courtship, there is much more aggression. Males unite in groups of 3-4 individuals and literally drive fertile girlfriends. Moreover, these associations can be part of much larger alliances, up to 14 dolphins. The chase can last for tens of minutes, during which the animals cover several kilometers of distance. Obviously, females do not like such mating games.

Aggression of males is expressed not only in persistent pursuit, but also in tail blows, head butting, cutting and biting. Scientists in the course of observations found that only in one case out of four, the female manages to escape. Throughout the year, the female can be harassed by various alliances, and in different months. All this does not look like romantic courtship, but like gang rape.

Scientists have identified another interesting feature in the behavior of dolphins when mating. A study of the heredity of one population in Shark Bay (Australia) in 2004 revealed the practice of incest by individuals. One of the males was mating with his own 15-year-old daughter. Some of the dolphins in the group courted their own mothers. In 2010, a study was published that confirmed an increased incidence of incest in this particular population.

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Dolphins in the army

The high intelligence of dolphins did not go unnoticed by the military. Who wouldn’t want to have a fast and smart underwater soldier at their disposal? A program to train dolphins for military purposes existed in both the United States and the Soviet Union. At the same time, the animals performed different tasks: detecting sea mines, rescuing sailors after a shipwreck, and even identifying enemy underwater saboteurs. In the 1960s, dolphins were actively used by the US military in search of sunken rocket launchers, warheads and training mines, and the installation of complex underwater equipment. The use of these creatures turned out to be much more effective than the work of divers. In the same 1960s, publications appeared that the military was preparing real kamikazes from dolphins. The animals were supposed to identify enemy submarines and blow them up. However, the US Naval Command categorically denies the possibility of using dolphins to harm people.

And in the Soviet Union, the dolphin training program was classified.

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Perfect Pitch

It is believed that dolphins have a poor sense of smell, but excellent vision and hearing. Echolocation is an important tool for dolphins, helping them navigate the water, find each other and find prey. Moreover, it is the sonar that makes it possible to recognize people due to the characteristic “response” of our skeleton. But these same waves help to see other insides of a person. A recent pregnancy will be easily identified by dolphins. That is why they react so joyfully and violently to women in position.

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paradoxical speed

It’s no secret that dolphins can reach speeds of 40-50 km/h in water. But these figures frankly surprised zoologists. Back in 1936, calculations were made that showed the maximum speed for animals with such physical indicators of 20 km / h. The English zoologist James Gray undertook to study the paradox. According to his calculations, it turned out that either the muscles of dolphins should be 8-10 times more powerful than those of a similar mammal, or dolphins, when moving in water, experience much less resistance relative to the physical model. But how can it be? This phenomenon has been called Gray’s paradox. Over time, scientists have figured out how the dolphin controls its environment – soft skin dampens water vibrations and it flows smoothly, without turbulence, around the body. This is facilitated by both lubrication and special longitudinal scallops.

But at a speed of 10-15 meters per second, the effect of cavitation appears – air bubbles form near the actively working tail. It turns out that the dolphin feels them with nerve endings in the form of pain. So nature simply does not allow these animals to swim even faster, stopping the acceleration with unpleasant sensations. So far, not all aspects of dolphin speed swimming are completely clear, but this is a very interesting mystery.

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The Importance of Breathing

Respiration is a vital function of any mammal. But it works differently in dolphins than it does in humans. These beings breathe only consciously, not reflexively, as we do. This is why dolphins cannot breathe on their own when they are under anesthesia. Yes, and during sleep, only one half of the brain is turned off, while the second just supports the breathing process. One portion of oxygen is enough for animals for about 8-10 minutes, after which they need to rise to the surface and take a breath.

Suicide cases recorded in dolphins are also associated with the ability to breathe. Sometimes animals just deliberately interrupt this process. But what it is connected with is another mystery.

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Dolphin language

Dolphins can be considered highly intelligent creatures, if only because they have a language. The simplest part of it is gestures. But animals also have a complex system of sound signals. And if echolocation helps to assess the situation, then twitter, squeak, squeals, rattle or whistle are needed to communicate with relatives. Signals are emitted at high ultrasonic frequencies that we simply cannot hear. Scientists have counted at least 186 different whistles that have a similar organization to us: sound, syllable, word, phrase, etc. Experiments have shown that dolphins are able to give and recognize names. Even the complex instrument CymaScope was created, which is designed to decipher complex signals. It is believed that in the vocabulary of dolphins there can be up to 14 thousand sound signals, but it has not yet been possible to recognize this language.

The sin of infanticide

For humans, infanticide is considered a grave sin, but in the world of dolphins it is a tool for the realization of the basic instinct. The phrase “baby tossing” might seem like the name of a fun game. In fact, this is a way of killing unrelated cubs by adult males. For example, in 1996-1997, 37 young bottlenose dolphins were stranded on the beaches of Virginia. A superficial examination did not show anything strange, but an autopsy revealed severe injuries inflicted by a blunt object.

Injuries were inflicted to the head and chest area, rib fractures were accompanied by lung ruptures and bruises of soft tissues. Over time, evidence has been found that adult dolphins can be considered responsible for the death of young animals. Scientists even personally observed the tossing of cubs by males. They use this method to activate a new estrus period in female mothers. Infanticide is a serious threat to this society. Realizing this, females can show “prudence” by mating with males from different alliances. As a result, males will not be able to consider the cub a stranger, which will reduce its chances of dying.

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