Swim With The Dolphins

Marine Animal Workshops
Enjoy the swim with the dolphins programs in sunny and beautiful Florida, Key Largo / Key West Area, and Miami / Fort Lauderdale area; in addition, Cancun & Playa Del Carmen Mexico, Puerto Plata Dominican Republic and the Bimini & Nassau or Paradise Island, Bahamas. You will love swimming with dolphins, it's an incredible experience. The dolphin cove or salt water lagoon is a great place to meet your new friends the bottlenose dolphins. [View More]

Dolphin Scientific Classification
Dolphins and their immediate kin are included in the scientific family Delphinidae. This family is represented by about 30 species, including common dolphins, pilot whales, killer whales, and false killer whales. [View More]

Dolphin Habitat and Distribution
In general, the coastal ecotype seems to be adapted for warm, shallow waters. Its smaller body and larger flippers suggest increased maneuverability and heat dissipation. These dolphins frequent harbors, bays, lagoons, and estuaries. [View More]

Dolphin Physical Characteristics
Large bottlenose dolphins in the Pacific may be 3.7 m (12 ft.) and weigh 454 kg (1,000 lb.). In the Mediterranean, bottlenose grow to 3.7 m (12 ft.) or more. [View More]

Dolphin Senses
Most sound reception, or hearing, probably takes place through the lower jaw. Studies show that the lower jaw most effectively receives sounds with frequencies above 20 kHz. A dolphin may also receive sound through soft tissue and bone surrounding the ear. [View More]

Dolphin Adaptations for an Aquatic Environment
Swimming speed and duration are closely tied: high-speed swimming probably lasts only seconds while low-speed swimming may last for long periods of time. Bottlenose dolphins routinely swim at speeds of about 5-11 kph (3 to 7 mph). [View More]

Dolphin Behavior
Bottlenose dolphins live in groups called pods. A pod is a coherent long-term social unit. The size of a pod varies significantly with its composition. [View More]

Dolphin Diet and Eating Habits
Dolphins are active predators and eat a wide variety of fishes, squids, and crustaceans such as shrimps. The foods available to a dolphin vary with its geographic location. Adult bottlenose dolphins eat approximately 4% to 5% of their body weight in food per day. [View More]

Dolphin Reproduction
Age when attaining sexual maturity is variable among bottlenose dolphins; on average, females become sexually mature when they reach about 2.3 m (7.5 ft.), at about 5 to 12 years. Males become sexually mature when they reach about 2.4 to 2.6 m (8-8.5 ft.), at about 1 0 to 12 years. [View More]

Dolphin Birth and Care of Young
Gestation period is about 12 months. Worldwide, calves are born throughout the year. Seasonal calving peaks vary by area. [View More]

Dolphin Communication and Echolocation
Dolphins probably rely on sound production and reception to navigate, communicate, and hunt in dark or murky waters. Under these conditions, sight is of little use. Bottlenose dolphins identify themselves with a signature whistle. However, scientists have found no evidence of a dolphin language. [View More]

Dolphin Longevity and Causes of Death
Census data from the Sarasota, Florida population suggest that a bottlenose dolphin's average life span is probably 20 years or less. Bottlenose dolphins have lived as long as 48 years. [View More]

Dolphin Conservation
In 1946, 14 countries signed the International Whaling Convention for the regulation of whaling, forming the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The purpose of the IWC is to protect the future of whale stocks as a resource. Members of the IWC are requested to report direct and indirect catches of small cetaceans, including bottlenose dolphins, as part of their National Progress Reports on Cetacean Research. For the most part, however, these catches go largely unreported. [View More]