Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Origin. Dolphins are among the most intelligent animals and their often-friendly appearance and seemingly playful attitude have made them popular in past and current human culture. The dolphin brain is large and highly complex and is different in structure from that of most land mammals. The only exception to this is the Boto river dolphin, which has persistent small hairs on the rostrum. Dolphins breathe through a blowhole on top of their head. As additional studies are conducted around the world, there may be further changes to Tursiops spp. Order-Cetacea. Domain- Eukarya. Description. The largest dolphin species (the orca) grows to more than 30 feet long while the smallest, Hector's dolphin, is just 4.5 feet in length. Delphinus: pictures (2) Genus Feresa pygmy killer whale. Corrections? The Common Dolphin has an attractively marked flank of yellow, buff and grey patches forms a sweeping hour glass shape brought into stark relief by the dark grey upper body and white belly. Let us start with the family Delphinade which is the largest in the Cetacean order, and relatively recent: dolphins evolved about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Kingdom Animalia animals. Phylum- Chordata. Genus: Stenella Stenella longirostris is one of four main subgroups of Spinner dolphins. The Common Dolphin is a slender streamlined dolphin with a moderately long beak, tall dorsal fin and large tapering flippers. Most dolphins are small, measuring less than 3 metres (10 feet) in length, and have spindle-shaped bodies, beaklike snouts (rostrums), and simple needlelike teeth. Although dolphins look like fish and live in the water, they are actually mammals. Dolphin species that the IUCN considers vulnerable or near threatened include the Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin (Sousa chinensis), the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), and the Australian snubfin dolphin (O. heinsohni). Family: Asparagaceae Subfamily: Agavoideae Genus: Agave. Distributed in marine environments worldwide, they range from equatorial to subpolar waters and also can be found in many major river systems. Dolphins can live in either fresh or salt water. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Dolphins (family Delphinidae) and river dolphin (family Platanistidae). However, it is now known that there are at least two species within the genus: Common Dolphins (D. delphis) and Long Peaks (D. capensis) (Heyning and Perrin 1994). Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In latin this word means dolphin appearance. Although bottlenose dolphins are species of least concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), several dolphins are at risk of extinction. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In the modern classification system, the fish belongs to the genus Coryphaena. The trachea is anterior to the brain. A mammary slit is positioned on either side of the female’s genital slit. Description, classification, synonyms of Family Delphinidae - Ocean dolphins. Classification of a Dolphin. In addition, the bottlenose dolphin has the longest social memory of any nonhuman species; several members of the species were able to recognize the unique whistles of individual dolphins they once associated with at least 20 years after becoming separated from them. Yet where does the scientific name for dolphins come from? It has also become the subject of scientific studies because of its intelligence and ability to communicate by using a range of sounds and ultrasonic pulses. The female has one genital slit, housing the vagina and the anus. Classification. The seven levels of classification of a dolphin start with the kingdom of Animalia. Bottlenose Dolphin Classification and Taxonomy – Types of Bottlenose Dolphin The taxonomy of bottlenose dolphins has been under debate in the scientific community. Some species have up to 250 teeth. Some of these cetaceans are occasionally called porpoises, but scientists prefer to use this term as the common name for the six species in the family Phocoenidae, all of which differ from dolphins in having blunt snouts and spadelike teeth. I will nominate the bottlenose dolphin as BTC mentioned it. The ancient Greeks recognized that cetaceans breathe air, give...…, cetaceans as whales, porpoises, and dolphins, as well as seals and walruses. Hawaii Dolphin Encounter (Non-Swim) Program. However, we can get an idea about the life expectancy of this animal from the lifespan of related species. It also has a melon-shaped head, much like that of a true dolphin. Test your knowledge of mammals by taking this quiz. In it an image shows a bottlenose dolphin. All Rights Reserved. Tursiops, which translates as "dolphin-like," is derived from the Latin word Tursio for "dolphin" and the Greek suffix –ops for "appearance". Dolphins (Odontoceti) are a group of 44 species of toothed whales or cetaceans.There are dolphins in every ocean on Earth, and there are freshwater species of dolphins that inhabit rivers in South Asian and South American. Omissions? With almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera Scientists have taken great care to try and specify with great detail the distinct and sometimes minute differences between the species. Until 1994, all the world's common dolphins were classified as a single species: D. delphis. There are 40 extant species named as dolphins. A number of species are attracted by moving ships and often accompany them, leaping alongside and sometimes riding the waves created by the ships’ bows. Updates? Here is just a list of some of the other Dolphin categories, “(Provided and certified by Wikepedia)”. Unlike dolphins, which are mammals, dolphin fish are a type of ray-finned fish. Dolphin, any of the toothed whales belonging to the mammal family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) as well as the families Platanistidae and Iniidae, the two that contain the river dolphins. The common and bottlenose dolphins are widely distributed in warm and temperate seas. Common Name: Bottlenose dolphin, Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Pacific bottlenose dolphin, bottle-nosed dolphin. Most river dolphins live in fresh water that may be several thousand kilometres from the sea, although some spend their lives in coastal waters. Bottlenose dolphin, (genus Tursiops), also called bottle-nosed dolphin, any of three species of oceanic dolphins classified within the marine mammal family Delphinidae and characterized by a bottle-shaped snout. Biological classification is a form of scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis. Bottlenose dolphins have demonstrated the ability to recognize their reflections in several experiments, suggesting a degree of self-awareness. the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), according to the molecular studies. Now, the dolphin species category varies depending on the dolphin. Genus is categorized into two species, i.e. Genus Orcaella (Irrawaddy dolphin) 2 coastal species of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. Map of the geographic home ranges of three South American river dolphin species. They are amongst the… So in this hybrid, it is a male false killer whale with a female common bottlenose dolphin. The Genus classification for dolphins is tursiops. Let us start with the family Delphinade which is the largest in the Cetacean order, and relatively recent: dolphins evolved about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Though it varies per species, basic coloration patterns are shades of gray usually with a lighter underside, often with lines and patches of different hue and contrast. Genus Tursiops: All species and subspecies of Bottlenose Dolphin are placed here. All of today’s dolphin groups were present in the Miocene, as were at least three extinct families whose members would be called dolphins (Eurhinodelphidae, Hemisyntrachelidae, and Acrodelphidae). The dorsal fin, in those species that have one, provides stability while swimming. A recent study at the US National Marine Mammal Foundation revealed that dolphins are the only animals other than humans that develop a natural form of Type 2 Diabetes, which may lead to a better understanding of the disease and new treatments for both humans and dolphins.