Dolphin Facts

Deep dive into what they eat, how they communicate, how long they live and more

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

April 8, 2021

Every April 14 is National Dolphin Day. To celebrate the incredibly intelligent mammals, here are some fascinating facts about them.

There are currently 42 species of dolphins and they speak through clicks, whistles and squeals. They're very social and live together in pods which contain anywhere from 2-30 dolphins.

Dolphins are one of the smartest animals on the planet. Their brain size compared to their body size is second only to humans. They are self-aware, empathetic, work strategically with each other to hunt, save the injured and even pass down information to their young.

During deep dives the spinner dolphin may go to depths of nearly 1,000 feet.

These carnivores eat a variety of fish, squid, crustaceans and even jellyfish…and just like cows, dolphins have two stomachs - one stores food, and the other is where digestion takes place. Dolphins also don’t chew their food, they gulp it down whole and only use teeth to capture their prey.

Although they live in water, dolphins are mammals so they breathe air but can only stay under the water for 15 minutes at a time.  The also give birth to live young and mothers are pregnant between 9-16 months depending on the species of dolphin.

The killer whale is the largest dolphin and the Hector’s dolphin is the smallest.  Smaller species live around 20 years while bigger species can live up to 80.