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Dolphin
Dolphin Facts
| Kingdom: Five groups that classify all living things | Animalia |
| Phylum: A group of animals within the animal kingdom | Chordata |
| Class: A group of animals within a pylum | Mammalia |
| Order: A group of animals within a class | Cetacean |
| Family: A group of animals within an order | Delphinidae |
| Scientific Name: The name of the animal in science | Delphinus Delphis |
| Type: The animal group that the species belongs to | Mammal |
| Diet: What kind of foods the animal eats | Carnivore |
| Size (L): How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is | 2m - 4m (6.5ft - 13ft) |
| Weight: The measurement of how heavy the animal is | 100kg - 300kg (220lbs - 660lbs) |
| Top Speed: The fastest recorded speed of the animal | 40km/h (25mph) |
| Lifespan: How long the animal lives for | 20 - 45 years |
| Lifestyle: Whether the animal is solitary or sociable | Pod |
| Conservation Status: The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct | Threatened |
| Colour: The colour of the animal's coat or markings | Black, White, Grey |
| Skin Type: The protective layer of the animal | Smooth |
| Favourite Food: The preferred food of this animal | Fish |
| Habitat: The specific area where the animal lives | Temperate coastal waters, harbours and bays |
| Average Litter Size: The average number of babies born at once | 1 |
| Main Prey: The food that the animal gains energy from | Fish, Crab, Squid |
| Predators: Other animals that hunt and eat the animal | Human, Sharks, Killer Whale |
| Distinctive Features: Characteristics unique to this animal | Rounded dorsal in and striped skin |
Dolphin Location
Dolphin
The term common dolphin tends to refer to the short-beaked common dolphin and the long-beaked common dolphin that are found in warmer seas worldwide.The common dolphin is generally found around the Mediterranean Sea but are also commonly seen in deep off-shore waters and to a lesser extent over continental shelves that are preferred to shallower waters. Some populations of dolphin may be present all year round, others appear to move in a migratory pattern.
Common dolphins travel in groups of around 10-50 in number and frequently gather into schools numbering 100 to 2000 individuals. These schools are generally very active socially with groups often surfacing, jumping and splashing together. Typical dolphin behaviour includes breaching, tail-slapping, chin-slapping, bow-riding and porpoising.
Common dolphins are among the fastest swimming marine mammals, with some possibly reaching speeds of over 40 km/h. Dolphins have been known to use both their speed and large group sizes to develop different ways of hunting prey.
View all 24 animals that start with D.
Related Animals
Dolphin Translations
Gemeiner Delfin
Common Dolphin
Közönséges delfin
マイルカ
Gewone dolfijn
Delfin zwyczajny
Delfin
Tırtak
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First Published: 10th December 2008, Last Updated: 10th September 2018
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2. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2011]
3. David W. Macdonald, Oxford University Press (2010) The Encyclopedia Of Mammals [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2010]
4. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Dec 2008]
5. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2009]
6. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Dec 2008]