Facts about dolphins are easy to find online or in your local library as they are one of the most beloved sea creatures because they are known to be very friendly. Dolphins are aquatic mammals; this means that although they live in the ocean they give birth to live offspring. Although you might think that they can breathe under the water, they cannot. They can simply hold their breath for a very long time, and must come up every now and then for oxygen to breathe. They eat a diet of various types of fish, depending on the area that they live in. Dolphins come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and in South America some dolphins even live in rivers and lakes because it is a good environment for them.
There are some other little known facts on dolphins that are dissimilar from the common ones about their diet and how friendly they are. Research has shown that dolphins engage in aggressive sexual behaviour and male dolphins have even been known to rape and gang rape female dolphins. Although this behaviour happens infrequently, it is something that is reported. One thing you might notice is that sometimes dolphins strand themselves on the beaches if their environment has been polluted, or they have suffered some trauma. This is known as beaching, and happens quite frequently. In some cases more than one dolphin will beach itself at a time, and this is an indication to researchers that something is wrong with their habitat.
Dolphins are great animals for training and are a common friendly appearance at sea parks across the world. They are extremely intelligent and can learn to do tricks for rewards such as fish. Dolphins communicate with one another through a series of sonar noises and are thus able to travel great distances with their group.