Dolphin Way of Life

• Dolphins Endangered
  Although wild dolphins face many natural dangers within the deep expanse of the ocean, the most overwhelming threat to their existence is man.
  
  
• Dolphin Feeding
  Since wild dolphins catch and eat their food underwater and research is expensive and often hard to do, most of the data regarding their feeding habits has come from analyzing the contents of the stomachs of dead animals that wash up on the beach.
  
  
• Dolphin Predators
  Dolphins are not chicken of the sea; yet it would appear that they make a tasty meal for many predators. And why not? With an exceptionally high fat content, dolphin and other cetacean meat provides great nutrition for predators who stalk, or swim stalkingly, throughout the ocean.
  
  
• Dolphin Reproduction
  Dolphins, like almost all mammals, give birth to live young, and nurse them with mammary glands, though it boggles the mind to imagine nursing underwater. But the birth of a dolphin starts long before his babyhood; it starts with how Mom and Dad first met.
  
  
• Dolphin Social Life
  Many researchers agree that dolphins extremely social creatures and actually seem to depend on this interaction while hunting, mating and defending themselves and their pods. Typically, dolphins live and travel in groups ranging from 2-40 dolphins. Research has also shown dolphin pods as large as several hundred members.
  
  
• Wild Dolphins
  As Swim With The Dolphin (SWTD) programs and Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) continue to gain popularity, we're seeing more and more dolphins being held in captivity than ever before. While some scientists claim that dolphin research is progressing in great strides, critics believe that holding wild dolphins captive is cruel and should be stopped.