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The scientific name of Dolphin is Cetacea (Infraorder). Dolphins are marine mammals known to be under the parvorder Odontoceti, which also comprises the Porpoises and toothed whales. There are about 40 identified species of Dolphins that can be found today. Dolphins are known to have a special, fat-filled organ called the “melon” that generally acts as an “acoustic lens”, helping in sound recognition. This organ, found in dolphins, aids the usage of echolocation, which further enables it to navigate and hunt prey.
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Key Terms: Dolphin, Cetacea, Orcas, Mammalia, Animalia, Kingdom, Phylum
Scientific Name of Dolphins
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Cetacea (Infraorder) is the scientific name of Dolphins. Dolphins are aquatic mammals that have streamlined bodies, with hind limbs now evolved into flippers for propulsion. There are almost 40 recorded species of Dolphins.
Dolphin Diagram
Dolphins have a very well-developed sense of hearing, including species to survive even if they are blinded by some cause. Dolphins are piscivores in nature, meaning that they eat fish. However, many other larger members of dolphins feed on other marine mammals, like seals. One example of the same is the Orcas, which typically feed on seals.
Facts about Dolphins
There are several facts about dolphins. Some of them include:
- Dolphins, due to their very small teeth, can be identified with curved mouths, giving them a permanent “smile.” Almost about 36 dolphin species can be found in every ocean.
- Dolphins are known to feed on fish and squid. They hunt their prey by using echolocation. By the help of echolocation, sonar sound waves are reflected off the prey, helping get information about their location, size and shape.
- Dolphins have a gestation period of about nine to 17 months, based on their size.
- Since dolphins are mammals, they need to come to the surface of the water in order to breathe. One of the major facts to know about dolphins is that they have separate holes per task as opposed to land mammals that breathe and eat via their mouths. Blowholes, which can be found on the body of Dolphins, help them to eat and breathe simultaneously, but separately. The separate hole for per work in a dolphin hinders them from sucking up water into the lungs while hunting.
Classification of Dolphins
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Dolphins can be classified into:
| Type | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Cetacean |
| Family | Delphinidae |
Species of Dolphins
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Some of the very common species of Dolphins are:
- Common bottlenose dolphin: Tursiops truncatus
- Chinese river dolphin/ Yangtze river dolphin/ Baiji: Lipotes vexillifer
- False killer whale: Pseudorca crassidens
- Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin: Tursiops aduncus
- Killer whale/orca: Orcinus orca
- Amazon river dolphin: Inia geoffrensis
- Long-finned pilot whale: Globicephala melas
Palaeontology and Classification of Dolphins
Dolphins were first explored as fossils from the Early Miocene Epoch (which was almost 23 million to 16 million years back in time). It was a time when the cetacean fauna lived in a more diverse manner.
Every dolphin group were found in the Miocene, similar to the last three extinct families whose members would be known as dolphins (i.e. Eurhinodelphidae, Hemisyntrachelidae, and Acrodelphidae).
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Previous Year Questions
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Things to Remember
- The scientific name of Dolphin is Cetacea (Infraorder).
- Dolphins can hunt their prey by the help of Echolocation.
- Some common species of the Dolphin family include Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates) and Chinese river dolphin/Yangtze river dolphin/Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer).
- Dolphins generally feed on fish, which makes them piscivores in nature.
Sample Questions
Ques. How do dolphins hunt for food? [2 marks]
Ans. Dolphins generally consume fish and squid. Surprisingly, they can track their prey with the help of echolocation. By means of the sonar sound, the waves typically bounce off the prey and thus help dolphins to get information about the location, size and shape of the fish.
Ques. What is the scientific name of the Amazon river dolphin? [1 mark]
Ans. The scientific name of the Amazon River Dolphin is Inia geoffrensis.
Ques. What is the diet of dolphins? [1 mark]
Ans. Dolphins are piscivores in nature.
Ques. Which order do Dolphins belong? [1 mark]
Ans. Dolphins belong to the order Cetacean.
Ques. What is the gestation period of dolphins? [1 mark]
Ans. The gestation period of dolphins is typically around 9 to 17 months, based on their size.
Ques. About how many species of dolphins are there? [1 mark]
Ans. There are about 40 recorded species of Dolphins.
Ques. Which family do Dolphins belong? [1 mark]
Ans. Delphinidae is the family dolphins belong to.
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