Did You Know That Dolphins Are Highly Intelligent Marine Mammals?

Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals and are part of the family of toothed whales that includes orcas and pilot whales.

Dolphins are well known for their intellect, their gregarious nature, and their acrobatic abilities.

They are found worldwide, mostly in shallow seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. Dolphin coloration varies, but they are generally gray in color with darker backs than the rest of their bodies.

The body of a dolphin is designed to help them move through the water quickly and without exerting huge amounts of energy. They rely on their pectoral fins and the fluke (tail) to help them navigate through the water.

Even though dolphins have 100 teeth, they don’t use them for eating. They do use them to get the fish though and then they swallow them. They can consume up to 30 pounds fish per day. They usually work as a team in their pod to get the school of fish surrounded and balled up. From there, they can plow through the middle and eat plenty as they do so.

Dolphins are found all over the world; generally in shallow seawater of the continental shelves. You can witness dolphins in the cold waters as well as the warm tropical waters. Of course, there are certain species of dolphins that show preference to a particular temperature and region.

Lifespan: Most dolphins live long lives. The bottlenose dolphin can live over 40 years, and the orca can live to be 70 or 80!




Parts of the Dolphin

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Ocean City, Maryland: Hammerhead Shark Spotted Near the Beach

A Photographer was taking wedding photos Wednesday near 36th Street in Ocean City when he heard yelling coming from a few blocks away.

"You could just see a pretty big fin," he said.

It happened shortly after 5 p.m., when lifeguards are off duty, but Denny said within 10 minutes guards responded to the area and the water was cleared. The Ocean City Beach Patrol became aware of the shark at that time and was able to identify it as a hammerhead, Captain Butch Arbin said Thursday.

"Yesterday we had something come into the surf — and that can really be anything when we first see it, like it can be a whale carcass, a turtle, a log, or in this case, a shark — so we moved people away from the area and are monitoring it at this time," Arbin said.

The Beach Patrol is still monitoring the area between 22nd and 52nd streets.

"We don't want people infringing on the marine mammal, and we don't want it to hurt anyone, either," Arbin said. "It sounds funny but, to us, this is normal procedure for anything that enters the surf zone that usually isn't there."

Arbin said the shark's activities were unusual because it entered and left the surf zone twice.

"We're not sure if it tried to beach itself, but it stayed in the surf zone 'til dark last night," Arbin said.

If the shark beaches itself, the patrol would notify personnel with the National Aquarium and the Department of Natural Resources, who they have already been in contact with.

Denny is also a surf instructor, and he said it's not unusual for him to see smaller sand sharks along the coast. But seeing what he called a large hammerhead close to the shore in about 2 feet of water was surprising he said.

"It's pretty rare," he said.

According the Denny, more than 100 people gathered to watch the shark Wednesday.

This sighting comes two days after a dead hammerhead washed ashore in Fenwick Island, and three days after another hammerhead gave birth while beached in Ocean City. It is unclear if those events are related, because the shark was buried but not examined.

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The Dolphin - Known for Their Intellect, Gregarious Nature, and Acrobatic Abilities

Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals and are part of the family of toothed whales that includes orcas and pilot whales.

Dolphins are well known for their intellect, their gregarious nature, and their acrobatic abilities.

They are found worldwide, mostly in shallow seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. Dolphin coloration varies, but they are generally gray in color with darker backs than the rest of their bodies.

The body of a dolphin is designed to help them move through the water quickly and without exerting huge amounts of energy. They rely on their pectoral fins and the fluke (tail) to help them navigate through the water.

Even though dolphins have 100 teeth, they don’t use them for eating. They do use them to get the fish though and then they swallow them. They can consume up to 30 pounds fish per day. They usually work as a team in their pod to get the school of fish surrounded and balled up. From there, they can plow through the middle and eat plenty as they do so.

Dolphins are found all over the world; generally in shallow seawater of the continental shelves. You can witness dolphins in the cold waters as well as the warm tropical waters. Of course, there are certain species of dolphins that show preference to a particular temperature and region.

Lifespan: Most dolphins live long lives. The bottlenose dolphin can live over 40 years, and the orca can live to be 70 or 80!




Parts of the Dolphin

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The National Aquarium, Washington, DC - Unveiled an Extremely Rare Albino Alligator

On October 7, the National Aquarium, Washington, DC, unveiled an extremely rare albino alligator in the new Secrets of the Swamp, here for a very limited time. Don't miss this opportunity to get up close to this rare and special animal!

An extremely rare albino alligator from the swamps of Louisiana is taking up residence in Washington, D.C., dazzling visitors with her brilliant white skin.

The 3-year-old is the first of its kind ever to go on exhibition at the National Aquarium,  home to more than 200 marine species from goldfish and frogs to piranhas and sharks.

"There are less than 100 albino alligators in the world," Ryan Dumas, a herpetologist  at the tourist attraction, told AFP on Thursday. "They are very rare."

Hatched in captivity in, after its egg was found in the wild, the ghost-like alligator with pink eyes came to Washington via the privately owned Saint Augustine Alligator Farm in Florida.

"Local lore in parts of Louisiana, is that it's incredible good luck to see an albino alligator," Dumas said, adding however that because of their color, few if any survive in the wild.

"A white alligator is going to have a very hard time keeping itself hidden in a dark swamp," said Dumas, because the lack of camouflage exposes hatchlings to predators or gives them away to prey.

The alligator, which dines on fish and rodents, will be on display until February of next year. A facebook campaign will be launched by the aquarium shortly, to give her a name.


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