2 of 6

Write now Article Tools

The much loved Dolphin is a marine mammal and member of the cetacean family, closely related to the whale and porpoise families.

Dolphins are social animals living in groups called pods or schools of anywhere from 3 to 15 individuals. These pods consist of family and non-family members and it is common for all the female members of a pod to care for and protect a new-born Dolphin calf even if it is not their own.

Dolphins are considered to be highly intelligent mammals and they exhibit complex social behavior. They are known to mate for reasons other than reproduction; one of the few animals that is known to do this apart from humans.

Members of a pod communicate with each other by making clicking and squeaking sounds which are commonly supposed to be a form of speech. Pods will often join together with other pods to make large groups of Dolphins, even sometimes of different species. The individual members of these groups can number in the hundreds.

Groups of Dolphins will often collaborate with each other to catch food by encircling shoals of fish and driving the shoal towards other group members or herding them into shallow water.

Dolphins often human-like social behavior and obvious intelligence makes them most endearing animals that people love to interact with.

Learn more about this author, Cathy Linton.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Dolphins and their complex social behaviors?
We want to hear your view. Write now!