If you determine the most intellectually developed living creatures on Earth, dolphins will take second place after people. Despite numerous studies, the limits of their intelligence are still unknown. And although man began communicating with these aquatic inhabitants in ancient times, dolphins are in no hurry to share their secrets. What is the value of the unique effect that dolphin therapy has on the human body, and their ability to accurately determine pregnancy? So, let's begin.
Dolphins are such incredible creatures that their structure still baffles scientists. Let's find out why dolphins attract researchers and why they have been doing this for years. Here are just a few facts.
Dolphins have a complex brain structure
Still wondering why dolphins can be smarter than humans? Scientists already know the answer. Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed that the number of nerve cells and convolutions in the dolphin's cerebral cortex is greater than in humans. Unlike us, dolphins even breathe consciously. For example, a dolphin under anesthesia would not be able to breathe on its own.
Diving to depth
Dolphins are not susceptible to decompression sickness (negative phenomena that occur in the body when there is a sharp change in external pressure). Thanks to this, they can safely dive to great depths and rise back at high speed.
When diving three hundred meters, the water column presses on every 1 cm2 of their body with a force equivalent to 30 kg. A depth 3 times shallower is lethal for humans. Rising to the surface at high speed greatly increases the load they receive, but also does not cause any consequences.
Incredible regeneration speed
Amazing dolphins will not bleed even after meeting a shark. In the event of a wound, the tissue begins to heal so quickly that in just a few weeks there will be no marks or scars left on it. Interestingly, the behavior of an injured dolphin does not differ from its usual behavior. This suggests that the dolphins' nervous system blocks pain sensations.
This is not a fish
Whales are not the only mammal that lives in the water and swims among fish. Dolphins are also warm-blooded, viviparous animals. They have no scales, do not spawn, and feed their young with milk. Despite the presence of fins, their structure differs from that of fish. In particular, they contain humerus bones and bony processes that are very reminiscent of the phalanges of the fingers. Those who touch these animals for the first time always experience a special feeling from the sensation of their unexpectedly soft and smooth skin.
As befits mammals, dolphins also grow hair, although only at a very tender age, immediately after birth. At first, the cubs have antennae, which have a very specific purpose - it is a means of navigation with which they find their mother. Soon the need for this disappears, and the mustache disappears.
Dolphins have their own language
And it consists of 14,000 different-frequency sound signals, which corresponds to the human vocabulary. The dolphin also has a unique name, which it receives at birth. Scientists have found that an individual dolphin responds to the same whistle, while its relatives do not respond to the same sound at all.
Interesting facts about dolphins regarding their behavior can be listed endlessly. Being highly organized beings, they work, have fun, and have relationships. Let's see why dolphins could easily live side by side with humans.
Habits
Dolphins, as a rule, do not live alone. Their flocks have a complex social structure, in which each individual has its own specific place. Dolphins are distinguished by extremely active, inquisitive behavior. While most wild animals avoid contact with people or become aggressive, dolphins love to play and interact with people, especially children. They show benevolence not only towards humans, but also towards some other animals. In the entire history of observations, not a single case of a dolphin attacking a person has been recorded. Man attacks dolphins all the time.
Romantic dolphins
Ethologists have discovered that dolphin relationships are not without romantic gestures. In some species, the male gives gifts to the female during courtship! These could be bunches of seaweed, fragments of coral, or pieces of sponge lifted from the bottom. What matters, of course, is not the practicality of the item, but the ritual itself.
Perhaps everyone would like to have such a kind, loyal and intelligent friend. Fortunately, meeting a dolphin is easy these days. You just need to visit the Nemo Dolphinarium in Minsk. You can admire the colorful show from the stands, or you can choose a gift certificate for dolphin therapy, which is available in Minsk, and touch the living miracle with your own hands. The beauty of the gift is that it has no contraindications! Quite the opposite. It has been proven that communication with dolphins has a positive effect on the human body and psyche.
Dolphin therapy at Nemo helps in the treatment of children with psychophysical developmental disabilities and significantly improves the well-being of expectant mothers. And this is not to mention the delight that everyone who has ever tried swimming with a dolphin experiences.
Agree, it’s great that you don’t need to fly anywhere to do this, because swimming with dolphins is available in Minsk! All you need to do is buy a gift certificate for yourself or as a gift and enjoy communicating with these amazing aquatic inhabitants.
Dolphins are truly considered the smartest animals in the world. Also, dolphins are the most popular and most amazing animals among all types of marine animals.
2. Images of dolphins were found in the city of Petra in Jordan. This city was founded back in 312 BC. This means that dolphins have been “cooperating” with humans for quite a long time. Also, dolphin figurines were found in the Jordan desert. The surprising thing is that this country is far from the habitat of these animals.
3.During the times of Ancient Greece, killing a dolphin was considered sacrilege and was punishable by death. The Greeks considered them "hieros ichthys", which translated means "sacred fish".
4.The statue of Apollo at Delphi bore the image of this animal.
5. In ancient Rome, it was believed that dolphins carried souls to the “Isles of the Blessed.” Images of these animals have been found on the arms of Roman mummies, presumably to ensure their safe passage to the afterlife.
Bottlenose dolphin
6. Oceanic beauties - bottlenose dolphins, they never cease to amaze the world, they are the kindest and most sympathetic creatures on the planet. Bottlenose dolphins are the most studied species of dolphins. Probably the reason for this was their natural friendliness, ingenuity and easy learning ability. People always manage to quickly establish contact with them.
7.They live in the warm waters of the world's oceans. The bottlenose dolphin's diet consists of fish, squid and small inhabitants of the ocean depths.
8. The bottlenose dolphin is a very compassionate creature. An indicative case occurred in New Zealand in 2004. A hundred meters from the shore, four rescuers were attacked by a white shark. A school of bottlenose dolphins protected people for 40 minutes from a predator that sensed its prey. There is no explanation for this fact of kindness and compassion on the part of animals.
9. Scientists believe that several hundred years ago dolphins were much smaller than they are now.
10. Dolphins have teeth, but do not use them to chew, since their jaws are not overgrown with muscles. They are intended exclusively for catching prey, which they subsequently simply swallow whole.
White-faced dolphin
11. White-faced dolphins are inhabitants of temperate waters. They mainly live in the coastal zone and feed on bottom-dwelling fish. Most often, this species of dolphin is found off the coast of Norway, where fishing is open for them.
12.White-faced dolphins have characteristic thick teeth, which sometimes frighten people. However, you should not be afraid of them, since they eat only shellfish, fish and crustaceans. For humans, these animals are not at all dangerous, but can cause harm only through negligence during communication. Otherwise, these cute creatures are as good-natured as other members of the family.
13. Many scientists are inclined to think that dolphins are intelligent creatures that have been developing in parallel with humanity since the appearance of life on the planet. They have their own language and hierarchy, their brain activity is strikingly different from that of all other animals and fish and cannot be fully studied.
14. Research by scientists has proven that dolphins lived on land before adapting to water. When studying their fins, scientists discovered that they were actually formed and previously looked like paws and fingers. Therefore, perhaps our closest relatives are these sea creatures.
15. About 49 million years ago, the ancestors of dolphins moved into the water.
White-bellied dolphins
16. There is a species of black dolphins. In fact, it is more correct to call these animals white-bellied or Chilean dolphins. Dolphins received their unusual name due to their rather variegated coloring: the fins and belly of mammals are white, and the rest of the body is colored gray and black. Currently, this dolphin is considered the smallest of all cetaceans. They reach only 170 centimeters in length. This species of dolphin has been little studied. According to some reports, animals prefer to live in shallow water; they are often seen at river mouths, where salt water mixes with fresh water. Scientists still cannot come to a conclusion regarding the population size of this species. Some believe that there are about 4,000 black dolphins, while others speak with confidence about the figure - 2,000 individuals.
17. These animals live along the Chilean coast. Experts say that this species is not prone to migration at all and lives in its birthplaces.
Common dolphins
18. Unfortunately, black dolphins are on the verge of extinction, although they are not yet officially protected by law. Huge damage to their population is caused by fishermen, as animals regularly fall into their nets and die there.
19.According to research by scientists, each dolphin has its own name, which its relatives call it. All of them produce peculiar sounds that are difficult for the human ear to catch, but in its environment one individual differs from another precisely in its peculiar timbre and manner of communication.
20. Experiments conducted with the participation of dolphins usually baffle researchers, since they cannot form a definite opinion about the level of their intelligence. Of course, dolphins are very smart and hide secrets that humanity will study for a long time.
killer whale
21. Killer whales are considered the largest species of dolphins. Their body length can reach 30 feet. In addition, killer whales are considered one of the most ferocious killers in the world.
22. Currently, 43 species of dolphins are known. 38 of them are inhabitants of the seas and oceans, and the remaining 5 are riverine.
23. They have specific similarities with each other, such as viviparity, feeding on milk, the presence of respiratory organs, smooth skin and much more.
24.Also, different species of dolphins have their own characteristics. Some animals have an elongated nasal part, while others, on the contrary, have a depressed one. They may differ in color and body weight.
25. It is very interesting how dolphins can communicate with each other and detect prey. Researchers have discovered that these creatures have their own sounds for different life situations, and they are divided into sonar and communicative. They use sonar signals to detect prey, and communicative signals for communication within the family.
26. Female dolphins help each other give birth to offspring. All other relatives provide protection at this time.
27. American scientists have created a device with which they are trying to recognize the meaning of dolphin signals. Not long ago it was found that the ultrasound emitted by dolphins has a beneficial effect on human health and even helps in the treatment of certain diseases.
28. Dolphins do not have a sense of smell, but they have a sense of taste and, like humans, are able to distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter and salty tastes.
29. Dolphins breathe air. They do not have gills, like fish, but they have lungs and a blowhole on the upper part of the body. Whales and dolphins use this same blowhole to make various sounds.
30. Most dolphins cannot see objects in front of them. Dolphins and even killer whales, when looking at objects, lie on their sides and examine them with the help of one or the other eye.
31. The interaction between a dolphin and a person always has a beneficial effect on the psychological state of the latter, which is why such treatment as dolphin therapy appeared. In most cases, this therapy helps children with certain communication disorders. Autism, attention deficit disorder and even cerebral palsy can be treated by interacting with these amazing animals.
32. Dolphins interact well with people, are trainable, and can be easily tamed. These animals were trained for military purposes by the two largest world powers of the twentieth century - the USA and the USSR. Dolphins were trained to find mines, rescue sailors from sunken ships and even destroy enemy submarines, unfortunately dying in the process.
33. The average speed at which a dolphin swims is 5-12 kilometers per hour. It depends on the varieties and situations. Some of the fastest dolphins can move at speeds of up to 32 km/h.
34. Dolphins can dive up to 304 meters deep.
35. Dolphins are the only animals that give birth to their young with their tail first. Otherwise, the kids would drown.
Pilot whale dolphin
36. Scientists have discovered that bottlenose dolphins produce 17 different sound signals with which they communicate with each other. It is interesting that 5 sounds are also understood by other members of the family - pilot whales and white-sided whales.
37. Dolphin sonars are the best in nature, several times superior to bats and similar devices created by people.
38. Dolphins have two stomachs: one is for storing food, and the other is used for digestion.
39. Despite the fact that the average lifespan of dolphins is only 20 years, some centenarians can live up to 50 years. It was even recorded that one of the oldest dolphins lived for 61 years.
40. If there is not enough food in their area of residence, dolphins can migrate to other places. New habitats depend not only on the availability of food, but also on the temperature of the water, which should not be lower than their body temperature.
41. A dolphin weighing 120 kilograms needs to eat 33 kilograms of fish per day, and these animals do not gain weight and are never obese.
42. These sea animals hunt only in packs, and they also cannot live alone. Dolphin families sometimes number about 100 individuals. Thanks to these abilities, the animal is never left without abundant food.
43. Since dolphins live in a group, its problems are not alien to each individual. If a sick or weak dolphin appears in a family, then all its relatives help it and push it to the surface, giving it the opportunity to take a breath of fresh air.
44. Dolphins use echolocation to hunt. Their hearing is designed in such a way that, based on the reflected signal, animals can determine the number of objects, their volume and degree of danger. Dolphins can deafen their prey with high-frequency sounds, paralyzing them.
45. Scientists suggest that echolocation is an evolutionary process that animals acquired relatively recently.
Pink dolphin
46. The pink dolphin is considered a unique species and lives in the Amazon.
47. Dolphins swim in circles and always keep one eye on the lookout for predators to sneak up on them. After a certain period of time, they begin to swim in the opposite direction and observe with the other eye.
48. Ordinary human hearing is unable to catch the dolphin call. Humans perceive sounds up to 20 kilohertz, and dolphins emit signals at frequencies up to 200 kilohertz. Scientists have found that in the speech of these animals there are more than 180 different whistles. Dolphin sounds form syllables, words and even phrases. And representatives of dolphins from different regions each whistle in their own dialect.
49. These sea animals can jump to a height of about 6 meters.
50. Dolphins are highly revered by many peoples. In some countries, people are seriously concerned about the issue of dolphins in captivity. In order to protect animals, appropriate laws are even adopted. Laws prohibiting the keeping of dolphins in captivity have been passed in Costa Rica, Chile and Hungary. India recently joined these countries. Hindus generally consider dolphins to be individuals, and therefore they, just like people, should have rights. This means that their exploitation in captivity is unacceptable.
photo from the Internet
They are capable of committing suicide
Apart from humans, only whales, primates and dolphins have the ability to deliberately take their own lives. Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his son witnessed one of these cases. Before their eyes, a captive dolphin struggled against the wall for a long time until it died. And one of the understudies of the male who played the main role in the film “Flipper” committed suicide by stopping breathing. They can do this because they breathe not automatically, but consciously.
Bottlenose dolphins and Maui
Bottlenose dolphins have the most impressive body sizes, reaching up to 3.5 m in length. The weight of a male can reach up to 400 kg. One of the varieties of bottlenose dolphins lives in the Black Sea; they can often be found in the coastal zone, including off the Russian coast, since their feeding pattern is predominant. Adult specimens are capable of jumping 6 m out of the water. It is bottlenose dolphins who most often find themselves prisoners of a “chlorinated prison”. Fishing for them in the Black Sea is prohibited, but permission is issued annually to catch several individuals for transportation to dolphinariums.
The smallest size, no more than 1.4 m in length, is the Maui variety. Their habitat is also very small, this is the coastal zone of one of the islands of New Zealand. According to some reports, there are no more than 60 individuals left. Wikipedia gives the number 110.
