Dolphins are hands down the smartest creatures of the ocean. Famous for their nifty tricks, they have gained celebrity status, especially in water-themed parks.
But what do we know about them exactly?
You’ll be surprised to find that these wonderful creatures share a lot of characteristics with us humans. Discover some of these common traits by reading on!
1. Dolphins Love to Sleep
Snooze much? If that’s the case, then you just might have been a dolphin in another lifetime. Despite not having gills, dolphins are some of the best nappers in the ocean.
So how do they do it if they need to come up to the surface to breathe? Well, mother nature knows her stuff.
Dolphins have evolved an ingenious trick of sleeping that is, for a lack of better words, amazing. Instead of snoring 8 hours straight like some of us do (ahem!), they simple rest one hemisphere of the brain.
While one section rests, the active hemisphere controls all movement and breathing functions. The dolphin will come up for air 20 minutes at a time, before switching to the other hemisphere.
And guess what, they can take these ‘power naps’ throughout the day!
It’s safe to say that this is one superpower everyone wishes they had in their 9-5.
2. Dolphins Have Their Own Language…And It’s A Little Weird
While you listen to your best friend blabber on about her workday, dolphins are busy discussing how much fish they ate…#squad goals.
Unlike your friend though, dolphins don’t have to talk.
They can communicate through vocalization. What this means is that they whistle to relay messages or to warn of impending danger. And during hunts, they click repeatedly to echo-locate their prey.
If that’s not enough, dolphins produce loud pulsating sounds in times of excitement or aggression.
Interestingly, scientists have yet to decipher the exact meaning of any of their vocalizations.
Pretty cool huh?
It’s like they have their own mos code!
3. Let’s Be Friends!
Social life in the deep sea doesn’t get any better than having your squad of dolphins by your side. According to a 2015 study conducted by the Florida Atlantic University, scientists actually discovered that dolphins have specific friends.
That’s right:
They prefer to hang out with certain dolphins compared to others. Which makes sense because let’s face it; some people (or dolphins) can be giant douchebags!
4. Did Someone Call My Name?
Okay, so dolphins aren’t gliding around with name tags like in Walmart, but they aren’t nameless either. In fact, dolphins have a signature whistle that is used by other dolphins to identify them.
And some experts believe that they use these whistles for the rest of their lives.
One study even showed that dolphins separated for years can use these unique whistles to identify each other.
Talk about keeping it tightly knit:
So next time you see a dolphin near you, give it the credit it deserves. They are one heck of a smart species!
