Dolphin 海豚 (3)

More than 30 different kinds of dolphins live on Earth. Most dolphins swim in warm ocean waters near the Equato. But some live in cooler seas north and south of the Equator, and some even live in rivers.

The hourglass dolphin lives way out in the middle of the ocean. The Hector’s dolphin usually stays close to land.

Have you ever seen a dolphin with long pointy snout? This funny looking mammal is a river dolphin. Ocean dolphins have good eyesight, short snout. They are fast swimmers and often jump. But river dolphins have poor eyesight, long and thin snout. They are slow swimmers and rarely jump. River dolphins are smaller than their ocean-swimming cousins. They are also less active and playful.

A spinner dolphin twirls through the air like a spiraling football. It can jump almost ten feet into the air and spin up to seven times.

A dolphin spends most of its life holding its breath. A Risso’s dolphin can go for 30 minutes without coming up for air.

Whales and dolphins are very closely related. In fact, some animals we call whales really are dolphins. The long-finned pilot whale is a dolphin that can dive almost 2,000 feet!