Bottlenose dolphins are considered by some to be one of the smartest animals on the planet. Their intelligence can be seen in a number of unique ways, from the way they communicate with each other to the social nature of their pods, or family groups. They are so social, in fact, that they work in teams for more effective hunting than they could perform on their own. Here are some other important facts about these fascinating creatures.
1. That’s a Warm Heart Right There
Bottlenose dolphins are actually warm-blooded creatures, but their internal body temperatures are barely above freezing. To make sure that their warm hearts don’t freeze over, a thick layer of blubber can be found right underneath their skin to make sure that they stay warm enough. When they dive down to snatch a tasty fish, this helps to keep them warm enough. Then, 15 minutes later when they need to breathe again, they’ll hit the surface for a nice trick or two.
2. Size Does Matter
The dolphin brain is actually about 300 grams bigger than the human brain. Although this isn’t direct proof that the animals are smarter than people, scientists do know that the dolphin has the internal capacity for higher levels of intelligence. Look at it this way: at least dolphins clean up after themselves a little bit after they’re done eating. Not every human can say the same thing.
3. I Know You Can Hear Me Now
Dolphins are like the opera singers of the waves. They have whistles that can be so loud that they can stun fish just by the sound waves they are able to produce. Bottlenose dolphins also have unique signature whistles which are believed to help each dolphin distinguish who happens to be around at any given time. They also have many other forms of communication that people don’t understand the reasoning behind as of yet.
4. You Thought YOU Had Insomnia…
Dolphins sleep in the water, so that means they have to be conscious of their breathing. This means they cannot go into a full deep sleep like you do at night because they could suffocate and drown if they did so. In order to get the rest that they need for a day filled with chasing fish and flipping fins out of the water, dolphins will let one half of their brain sleep at a time.
5. Structured Languages Unite
Dolphins are like parrots, gorillas, and even sea lions in the fact that they have the ability to understand a structure language. This lends to the possibility that dolphins speak in their own language as well. What do bottlenosed dolphins say to each other when they’re out in the water? We don’t really know, but scientists suspect it has something to do with the taste of fish [not really!].
Bottlenose dolphins are a favorite animal of many because of their interesting personality traits and characteristics. Get to know these great creatures of the sea a little bit more with fun facts like these and they just might become your favorite animals too.
