12 Nov Top WEIRD Dolphin Questions Answered Part 2

We get asked a lot of questions about dolphins. And, this should come as no surprise, as, after all, we’re in the business of providing sightseeing tours and Myrtle Beach dolphin cruises. Though we aren’t dolphin experts, we have come to learn a lot about these magnificent creatures in our line of work, and we’re happy to share our observations and what we have learned from the research of our own.

Do dolphins give themselves names?

This is not as strange of a question as it may seem. The truth is that the next time your child asks you this question, you can assure them that, yes, indeed, dolphins do give themselves names. Dolphins are known to develop their specific whistles that represent names. Further, researchers have observed that dolphins recognize their names and the names of other dolphins too.

Can dolphins talk?

Just as dolphins provide themselves and others with names, they can communicate with one another. Dolphins are intelligent creatures with exceptional self-awareness and the ability to talk and understand one another through the sounds they make in the water, almost like they are on the phone. Further, some dolphins can understand human language. It is believed that dolphins can understand as many as 60 words, thus providing them with the ability to construct up to 2,000 unique strings of conversation or sentences.

Do dolphins chew their food?

Though bottlenose dolphins have between 72 to 104 teeth, those teeth are only used to catch their prey. Once their food has been caught, dolphins swallow it whole.
What happens when a dolphin goes to sleep?
Dolphins have a strong survival instinct, and because they want to remain alert and awake, they only allow half of their brain to sleep at a time. This half-awake strategy keeps them safe from predators and ensures that they continue to breathe while sleeping.

How do dolphins breathe?

As you may have noticed when we shared how dolphins sleep, they need to make the conscious decision to breathe. This is because dolphins and whales are mammals and need to breathe air into their lungs, just as humans do. Dolphins cannot breathe underwater and need to breathe through their nostrils, otherwise known as the blowhole, which is located on top of their head. Dolphins can hold their breath for eight to ten minutes and then need to surface to release and take in more air.

How do dolphins turn their heads?

Certain species of dolphins, such as the pink river dolphin, have infused vertebrae in their neck, allowing them to turn their head 180 degrees. This unique body design will enable them to maneuver around obstacles in the water quickly.

Where is the dolphin’s nose?

When looking for things to do in Myrtle Beach, SC, a dolphin cruise is a way to go. During your dolphin sightseeing tour, be sure to observe the blowhole on the top of the dolphin’s head. This blowhole is, in theory, their nose. But even though the blowhole is their nose, dolphins cannot smell, as their blowhole is closed when they are under the water.

Do dolphins have belly buttons?

Just like with human babies, dolphin babies are connected to their mother by an umbilical cord. Thus, dolphins do have belly buttons.