What’s the difference between a dolphin and a whale?

Did you know that a killer whale, otherwise known as an orca, is actually a dolphin? Orcas are in fact the largest dolphin species in the world today. So, why are they called whales and not killer dolphins? Which, by the way, sounds downright terrifying? Well, that is a good question, and there is no easy answer. So instead of an easy answer, here is a complicated one: There are around 35 species of oceanic dolphin. All of these species can be correctly referred to as dolphins because they are in the scientific family known as delphinidae.

How do dolphins breath?

Your breathing is controlled by parts of your brain called the medulla oblongata and the pons – they are located deep in your brain-stem down at the base of your brain. These little guys are in control of a lot of very important things that you do, including keeping your heart beating. And, you have them to thank every time you sneeze, swallow or blink – they control it all! Every second of every hour of every day the medulla oblongata and the pons are working hard to make sure that your body keeps trucking along.

How can scientists tell different dolphins apart?

Have you ever had that feeling where you are talking to someone at a party and you are sure that you have met them before but you just can’t seem to place them? Did you meet them at your cousin’s wedding last summer maybe? Did they go to elementary school with you perhaps? This can be frustrating. Now take that feeling and multiply it by about a million, and you will have a pretty good idea what it feels like as a scientist trying to identify individual dolphins.

How does echolocation work?

As you may be aware, dolphins are able to use a special kind of sonar called echolocation or biosonar. In fact, all toothed cetaceans, that is – all of the whales, dolphins and porpoises that have teeth – are able to echolocate. Echolocation is the primary sense for most of these species; more important even than vision. And, if you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. You don't have to dive very deep in the ocean until light levels all but disappear. Many cetaceans live and hunt for food in a pitch-black environment.

Do dolphins recognize themselves in mirrors?

If you’ve been following the news lately, you might have seen a little story about elephants that can recognize themselves in mirrors. This is a rather major discovery for animal scientists – elephants now join dolphins as the only animals other than the great apes and humans that can recognize themselves in mirrors. Many scientists use the mirror self-recognition experiment as a test of an animal’s capacity for self-awareness – a trait often linked with cognitive complexity and intelligence. The mirror self-recognition test was pioneered by Gordon G. Gallup, Jr.

How does the dolphin eye work?

If you are a regular listener to the Dolphin Pod, then you'll be aware of the power and versatility of a dolphin's echolocation system. If you are inclined to be jealous of the sensory systems of other animals, you could do worse than to envy dolphin biosonar. It is pretty cool stuff. At least, you can rest assured that humans outshine dolphins when it comes to vision, right? Not so fast my simian friend – while it is true that humans and other primates do have well-developed visual systems, our dolphin friends are not far behind.

Where does the word ‘dolphin’ come from?

languages? Well, I’ve got a dictionary in front of me that provides simultaneous translations in 26 languages. Let’s have a quick look through, shall we? Let’s see… English: dolphin
French: dauphin
Italian: delfino
Spanish: delfin
German: delfin
Dutch: dolfijn
Swedish: delfin
Lithuaina: delfina
Hungarian: delfin Hey hold on a second, I think there might be a bit of a pattern here. The word ‘dolphin’ is pretty much the same in all of these languages.