In honor of the occasion, here are 15 fun facts about dolphins\u00a0that the good folks at the Shedd have learned from providing them world-class care!<\/p>\n 1. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/u>There are more than\u00a030 different species of dolphins<\/a>\u00a0worldwide<\/span>\u00a0and Shedd Aquarium is home to Pacific white-sided dolphins, a\u00a0rarely studied open-water species.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Clocked at up to 25 miles per hour, Pacific white-sided dolphins are one of the fastest swimmers in the ocean.<\/p>\n <\/u>3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pacific white-sided dolphins can leap to towering heights of 15 to 20 feet, turn somersaults in the air, or belly flop with a dramatic splash. Jumping can help them see above the water or communicate with fellow dolphins.\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Although dolphins lack vocal chords, they create underwater vocalizations sounding like clicks or creaking doors. Volume and frequency can vary when dolphins are producing\u00a0vocalizations<\/a>, even at considerable depths.<\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Staying true to their name, Pacific white-sided dolphins inhabit the cool temperature waters of the north Pacific, ranging from the South China Sea and the Baja California Peninsula to the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea.\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>Pacific white-sided dolphins grow up to be 6 to 7 feet long as adults, and weigh between 220 to 300 pounds or upwards of 400 pounds for large males.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pacific white-sided dolphins are distinguished\u00a0by their black backs, gray sides, white bellies and asuspender-like stripe runs down each side.\u00a0<\/span><\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>At Shedd Aquarium, dolphins receive optimal nutrition including a diet of fresh, sustainable restaurant-quality seafood including herring, capelin and squid. Adult dolphins eat about 25 to 30 pounds of food each day.\u00a0<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shedd Aquarium\u2019s success with Pacific white-sided dolphin births is providing invaluable information on optimal husbandry and maternal care that is being applied worldwide. There are seven critical development\u00a0milestones<\/a>\u00a0calves must reach in their first 12 months including birth, taking their first breath, bonding with mom, nursing, growing, discovering fish and weaning.<\/p>\n <\/u>10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Dolphin milk has fat content close to half-and-half: between 10 and 20 percent.\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>11.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>The names of Shedd\u2019s Pacific white-sided dolphins are in the Tlingit language, the endangered language of the Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest. Names include\u00a0Katrl, Kukdlaa, and Piquet.<\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>12.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pacific white-sided dolphins are nicknamed \u201cLags\u201d after their unwieldy scientific name,\u00a0Lagenorhynchus obliquidens.<\/i><\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>13.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Eastern Pacific dolphin populations appear to follow a migratory pattern, being the most abundant in the Southern California Bight during the winter and spending summers further north.<\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>14.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>Dolphins do not have a gag-reflex, which allows them to swallow their food whole. This lets them to catch food and eat it quickly when they find it.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n <\/u>15.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/u>When describing what it feels like to touch our Pacific white-sided dolphins, one trainer at Shedd noted they feel firm, smooth and a little colder than some expect. Some comparisons include a wet inner tube or a peeled hard-boiled egg.<\/p>\n Pin for Later:<\/strong><\/p>\n All facts and photos courtesy of the Shedd Aquarium.<\/p>\n You May Also Like:\u00a0<\/strong>10 fun giraffe facts for World Giraffe Day<\/a><\/p>\n Prior Post:<\/strong> Similarities between childbirth and divorce<\/a><\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss a post! Please subscribe to Between Us Parents\u2019 safe, spam-free email list in the box in the top right corner of the page!<\/p>\n Please like Between Us Parents on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.\u00a0You can also find Between Us Parents on\u00a0Pinterest<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My teen and I recently visited the Shedd Aquarium\u00a0in Chicago\u00a0and, as always, the Pacific white-sided dolphins both wowed and charmed us. They’re some of our favorite animals there. March is Dolphin Awareness Month, which is all about celebrating these smart, playful, and acrobatic mammals. In honor of the occasion, here are 15 fun facts about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7335"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7335"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7344,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7335\/revisions\/7344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Fun](\"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Fun-facts-about-dolphins-1024x683.jpg\")
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