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| ''The factual accuracy of this article is ]. Please see the article's ] for more information.'' | |||
| A '''dolphin''' is an aquatic ] of the order ], which also includes the ]s and ]s. | A '''dolphin''' is an aquatic ] of the order ], which also includes the ]s and ]s. | ||
Revision as of 10:04, 13 November 2003
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal of the order Cetacea, which also includes the whales and porpoises.
The word is used in a few different ways. It can mean:
- Family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins),
- Both Delphinidae and Platanistoidae (oceanic and river dolphins),
- Or all of suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales).
A porpoise (suborder Odontoceti, family Phocoenidae) is distinct from a dolphin.
There are almost 40 species of true dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from 1.2 metres and 40 kg (Heaviside's Dolphin), up to 7 metres and 4.5 tonnes (the Killer Whale which, despite the name, is a dolphin). Most species weigh between about 50 and about 200 kg. They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and all are carnivores, mostly taking fish and squid.
The dolphin family is the largest in the Cetacea, and relatively recent: dolphins evolved about 10 million years ago, during the Miocene.
List of dolphins
Delphinidae Oceanic Dolphins
- Long-Beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus capensis
- Short-Beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis
- Northern Rightwhale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis
- Southern Rightwhale Dolphin, Lissiodelphis peronii
- Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis
- Indo-Pacific Hump-backed Dolphin Sousa chinensis
- Chinese White Dolphin is the Chinese variant
- Atlantic Humpbacked Dolphin, Sousa teuszii
- Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Stenella frontalis
- Clymene Dolphin, Stenella clymene
- Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Stenella attenuata
- Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris
- Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
- Rough-Toothed Dolphin, Steno bredanensis
- Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
- Chilean Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus eutropia
- Commerson's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii
- Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
- Hector's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori
- Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus
- Fraser's Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei
- Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus
- Dusky Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus
- Hourglass Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger
- Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
- Peale's Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis
- White-Beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
- Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris
Platanistoidae River Dolphins
- Boto (Amazon River Dolphin,)Inia geoffrensis
- Chinese River Dolphin (Baiji) Lipotes vexillife
- Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica
- Indus River Dolphin Platanista minor
- La Plata Dolphin (Franciscana) Pontoporia blainvillei
Six toothed whales are in the family Delphinidae, and are therefore strictly speaking dolphins. They are sometimes called "blackfish":
- Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephalia electra
- Killer Whale, Orcinus orca
- Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata
- False Killer Whale, Psudoorca crassidens
- Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas
- Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus
Dolphin Intelligence
See Dolphin brain.
Dolphin lore
The popular television show Flipper, created by Ivan Tors, portrayed a dolphin in a friendly relationship with two boys, Sandy and Bud; kind of a sea-going Lassie, he seemed to understand human speech: "Go tell Dad we're in trouble, Flipper! Hurry!" The show's theme song contains the lyric no one you see/is smarter than he.
See also military dolphin.
External link
Dolphin (or more properly, dolphinfish) is also used to describe a species of fish, Coryphaena hippurus, which is unrelated to the mammal. The name is being used less frequently than in times past, and has generally been replaced with its Polynesian name, mahi-mahi, to avoid confusion with the mammal, especially since the fish is commonly eaten. In Spanish, this fish is also referred to as a dorado.
Dolphin was the code name for the Nintendo Gamecube before it was released.
Dauphin was a title adopted by many French kings and aristocrats, received originally from Humbert II