Dear Sara,
Dolphins hide from their predators in two ways , speed and silence.
Dolphins make social sounds and hunting calls frequently. If they detect a
predator they become silent. That keeps the predator in the dark as to
exactly where the dolphin pod is.
That is when speed becomes a valuable asset. The pod can quickly and
silently leave in a direction the predator has to guess. Dolphins are among
the swiftest swimmers in the ocean and can easily out distance the enemy.
A third defensive resource is the fact that dolphins are rarely alone. They
keep together in pods and , as many individuals , can sometimes mount an
aggressive counter attack on a predator.
Dolphins find their mates among the pod which is an extended matrilinear
family group. The pods are predominately females and immature animals.
breeding males are generally from other pods or small pods exclusively of
males.
Happy surfing and write a swell report.
Dr. Tom Ford
From: "Sara" >
Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2005 16:41:34 -0500
To: <tjfketos@rcn.com>, <pita@whale.wheelock.edu>
Subject: (2) Dolphin questions
Hi this is Sydney R. of Pennsylvania. My 3rd grade teacher assigned us a
project called I-Search. Part of the project is to do an interview or
vistation with someone who studies our topic. I chose dolphins. I found
the answers to some of my questions in the archives. But, here are a few I
still need answers for:
How do dolphins hide from their predators?
How do dolphins find their mates?
Thank you for your time and help.
Sydney R, age 8.
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