Research
Are Dolphins Whales?
There are two kinds of whales, the toothed whale and the baleen
whale. Dolphins, belugas, and sperm whales are all toothed
whales. Toothed whales have sharp teeth, which they use to hunt and
eat sea lions, fish, and even other dolphins and whales. Toothed
whales also use echolocation; they emit high-pitched clicks and sense
them as they bounce back off objects.
Baleen whales do not have teeth, but instead have fringed plates that
hang down from the roof of their mouth. Baleen whales eat tiny plants
and animals, called plankton, which they trap with their baleen. Baleen
whales include the blue, finback, gray, and bowhead whales.
Classification Information
There are 34 to 36 species of true dolphins who belong to the family
Delphinidae--river dolphins and porpoises do not belong to this family,
but blackfish (whale-like dolphins) do. There are six species of
blackfish: orca/killer whale, false killer whale, long-finned pilot whale,
short-finned pilot whale, pygmy killer whale, and melon-headed whale.
Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Phylum: Chordata (vertebrates)
Class: Mammalia (mammals)
Order: Cetacea (whales and dolphins)
Suborder: Odontoceti (toothed whales)
Family: Delphinidae
Worker Dolphins
Dolphins are intelligent and playful animals. Dolphins can think ahead,
solve problems and invent games. For this reason, dolphins are
trainable animals. Dolphins have been trained to entertain people by
doing tricks, and have been trained to pull small ships into harbor.
Dolphins have been trained to save drowning people by taking a rescue
rope to them. Sometimes dolphins even help fishermen by pushing fish
into their nets. The military has trained dolphins to locate hidden
explosives in the ocean. Dolphins can even be trained to be mail
carriers, carrying the mail from underwater laboratories up to the
surface. Dolphin trainers use fish as rewards to teach the dolphins to do
the jobs they want them to do.
Dolphin Behaviors
Bowriding
Many dolphin species are also known for playing in the water. One of
the many ways they play is by riding waves. This behavior is known as
bow-riding.
Breaching
Dolphins can breach (jump) high out of the water like acrobats! They
slap the water as they come back down. Sometimes, they will even
give a twirl before hitting the water. Scientists don't know for certain,
but breaching may be just a fun way for dolphins to play or it may have
a social meaning or be used to loosen skin parasites.
Lobtailing
Lobtailing is when a dolphin sticks its tail out of the water into the air,
swings it around, and then slaps it on the water's surface. It makes a
very loud sound and may be done as a warning signal for the pod.
Dolphins are Mammals!
Even though dolphins live in the water, they are mammals (not
fish!). They are warm blooded just like humans. They breathe air
through their lungs, they give birth to live young who they feed
milk. They also have hair (very little!), but they do have some.
Dolphin Diets
All dolphins are carnivores (meat eaters). The three hunters mentioned
here all find their prey at the surface of the water. They all eat some of
the same things, but the Orca has the largest menu. Bottlenose
dolphins eat fish and squid. Orcas eat fish, squid, sharks, birds, seals,
sea turtles, octopi, and even bottlenose dolphins! Spotted dolphins eat
mostly fish and squid, but also eat crustaceans.
Dolphin vs. Porpoise
Dolphins and porpoises are easily confused, but they are different
animals.
Here are some basic differences in the anatomy of these two animals:
Dolphin
often prominent beak
curved or hooked dorsal fin
cone shaped teeth
Porpoise
no beak
triangular fin
spade shaped teeth
Group Names
herd--a group of one species (type) of dolphin whose members share a
home range (area of activity)
school--large group made up of several herds, may contain more than
one dolphin species.
subgroup--smaller group that does not always travel with the herd, but
comes back to it.
family pod--stable unit of mothers and their offspring that may also
contain sons and uncles.
nursery pod--group of mothers and calves.
Camouflage
Dolphins are camouflaged: they are dark on top to make it harder to be
seen from (the dark blends in with the dark color of the deep ocean);
they are light underneath to make it harder to be seen when looking up
from down deep in the ocean (the light colored belly blends with the
sunlit top of the ocean). This pattern of light and dark is called
countershading.
Did You Know?
Dolphins are voluntary breathers--they must make a conscious effort to
breathe.
Bottlenose dolphins in a nursery pod will form a ring around a birthing
mother and her newborn calf to help protect them from predators.
Dolphins are usually born tail-first (unlike other mammals).
A dolphin's beak is called a rostrum.
The fatty material that makes a bump on the dolphin's forehead is
called a melon. A dolphin uses it to direct the sounds they make.
Dolphins can blow bubbles! (see video)
© www.homeschoolshare.com
DOLPHIN VS. PORPOISE SHUTTERFOLD
Print page. Cut on solid lines; fold on dotted lines. On the center top portion, write your title —
Dolphin or Porpoise? Then under each flap, write the answer whether that feature belongs to a
dolphin or a porpoise. Note: This is tricky. The sides don’t align. Some answers (for each animal)
will be on the left and some will be on the right.
Graphics are from http://www.acsonline.org/education/curriculum/dolphins-porpoises.html;
used with permission
CUT AWAY
CUT AWAY
BACK
Bowriding
Breaching
Lobtailing
DOLPHIN BEHAVIOR MATCHBOOKS
Cut on solid black lines. Fold books (three total) matchbook style. On the inside,
write a description of the behavior.
Cut the strips along the solid outer lines. If there is a rectangle piece in the right corner of the strip, cut it off as indicated (remove this area). Stack your strips in order
with cover on top and staple where indicated.
Dolphin Anatomy
External
REMOVE THIS AREA (Cut away so you have just a tab left)
Internal
REMOVE THIS AREA
USE GRAPHIC FOUND HERE:
http://www.imms.org/atlanticbottlenosedolphins.php
Graphics credits: http://www.acsonline.org/education/curriculum/private/curr-anatomy.html
and http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/
Melon
Blowhole
REMOVE THIS AREA
Dorsal Fin
REMOVE
Graphic for Melon Page
Graphic for Dorsal Fin Page
Answer Key for Picture to Label
Graphic for Blowhole Page
What is
Echolocation
?
Cut books out as one piece. Fold on solid black lines.
What is
a Pod
?
Cut book out as one piece. Record information on Venn Diagram. Fold in half. Cut and
paste cover piece to the front.
Spotted Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Dolphin
Diets
Orca
Cut out dolphin shapes. Write one interesting
dolphin fact on each shape. Stack together with
cover on top and attach with a staple or brass
fastener (use cardstock with the brad).
Directions: Cut out the pocket as one piece. Fold in half on the dotted line. Fold bottom
tab and glue down. Fold side tab and glue down.
As your student reads books about dolphins, she should complete report cards for them.
Glue this side to
your lapbook.
Books
about
bottom tab
Book Title
Book Title
Author
Author
Response (color one)
Response (color one)
I loved it!
It was okay.
I didn’t like it.
I loved it!
It was okay.
I didn’t like it.
side tab
dolphins
Book Title
Book Title
Author
Author
Response (color one)
Response (color one)
I loved it!
It was okay.
I didn’t like it.
I loved it!
It was okay.
Book Title
Book Title
Author
Author
Response (color one)
Response (color one)
I loved it!
It was okay.
I didn’t like it.
I loved it!
It was okay.
Book Title
Book Title
Author
Author
Response (color one)
Response (color one)
I loved it!
It was okay.
I didn’t like it.
I loved it!
It was okay.
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t like it.
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DOLPHINS ARE
MAMMALS TRIFOLD
Fold paper into thirds (like
a letter); this is called a trifold. Make it the same
height as the template.
(You actually use the template only as a pattern for
cutting your trifold.) Cut out
the dolphin shape, using
the folds for the top and
bottom of the dolphin. On
the very back of the minibook, attach the top and
bottom fins.
Inside the book, write and
illustrate characteristics
that make dolphins mammals (and not fish).
Mother
Father
Family
Baby
Cut out as one piece on solid lines. Mountain fold on center line. Fold “father” in to the center.
Then fold “baby” in to the center so that the cover is on top. Unfold and cut flaps on solid lines.
Write names of dolphin family members under each flap: father = bull; mother = cow; baby = calf.
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How
Long
Are
They?
Family
Suborder
Order
Class
Phylum
Kingdom
Cut out book as one piece. Fold left side under. Fold right side under (it is the cover). Unfold book. Cut on the solid lines to form
flaps.
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (animals)
Phylum Chordata (vertebrates)
Class Mammalia (mammals)
Order Cetacea (whales and dolphins)
Family Delphinidae