Mammals are a group of animals that includes various species that have developed terrestrial, aquatic or aerial habits, in such a way that they have a global distribution on the planet. Within the mammals we find the dolphins, which live exclusively in water, whether fresh, brackish or s alty. These cetaceans are distinguished by their social behaviour, not only among themselves, but also with humans, in addition to their proven intelligence.
Each group of animals develops different habits that, in many cases, become distinctive of the species. In this article on our site we talk about a peculiar and constant behavior of these mammals, such as jumping. We invite you to continue reading to discover why dolphins jump
Dolphin behavior
Currently, the word dolphin is used to group various marine mammals divided into the families Delphinidae, Platanistidae, Iniidae and Pontoporiidae, which are distributed by bodies of marine, brackish or fresh water. Although there may be some particular behaviors depending on the group, in general, dolphins are intelligent animals, characterized by habits of socialization among themselves, but also with other species marine and even with human beings.
They develop strong bonds with each other, to the point of staying by the side of an injured family member to try to help them. These support actions extend to other aquatic animals, which have been seen to help in cases of stranding. They have also been shown to help humans in certain circumstances. On the other hand, dolphins, like numerous terrestrial species, carry out play activities, among themselves and also with people. Without a doubt, it is one of the behaviors that most attracts the attention of these cetaceans.
Another quite typical behavior in is constantly jumping out of the water It is very common to observe this behavior when, for example, surfing the areas in which they live. In fact, this creates special places for dolphin watching. But why do dolphins jump? We explain the reasons in the following sections.
Hunt
Dolphins have gregarious behaviors, so it is common for them to perform certain actions together. Hunting is one of them. Dolphins feed mainly on fish that they catch in various ways. One of them is locating and chasing schools of fish. They then split up, some surrounding the congregation, while others begin to leap out of the water so that their falling bodies hit the water hard. This makes the fish startle and group together. The dolphins only have to dive to eat. Later the participants exchange their roles so that everyone can feed.
On the other hand, catching fish in a school is not an easy task. That is why when the dolphins find these groups, they make their jumps to fall on the fish, but, in this case, with the aim of dispersing them. Also, hitting the water older or sick fish are stunned, so they are more easily detected and caught by cetaceans.
Breathing
Dolphins are mammals with lungs, so they need to take in oxygen directly from the air to breathe. On the other hand, they swim at great speeds and, when they move from one place to another in this way, by jumping out of the water they manage to fill their lungs with the oxygen they require, then submerge again to continue swimming. In other words, they manage to swim and breathe without having to stop. This allows them to continue their scrolling quickly.
Communication and socialization
Dolphins have a complex communication system, which is necessary as they are social animals. To communicate with each other they can do it through various movements, such as turns, which is a non-vocal communication, but also, and mainly, they do it by emitting different types of sounds.
Additionally, it is estimated that these animals jump to make themselves visible to other individuals In this way, when the dolphins jump they can be seen by others that also jump, since, although they usually swim in herds, they are not always close, but rather distance from each other. Jumping behavior allows them to locate themselves. On the other hand, jumping together can be a way of playing and socializing with each other, since, as we have mentioned, their level of intelligence makes them develop certain behaviors of their own of evolved animals.
Energy saving
Dolphins tend to keep swimming constantly, even covering long distances at high speeds. Although their body is hydrodynamic, contact with water always generates friction, which is lost when the dolphins jump into the air, as it is less dense than water. In this way, although it seems that jumping involves an extra expenditure of energy, it actually allows them to rest from the resistance generated by the water when swimming.
Parasite removal
The idea has been proposed that dolphins may have certain external parasites that harm them and which are released when jumping out of the water, since these do not tolerate the sudden change that involves going out into the air and re-entering the water.
Additionally, it has been documented[1] that remoras, fish equipped with suction cups and capable of attaching themselves to large marine animals, They also attach to dolphins, giving them greater resistance when they swim. That's why they also use the jumps out of the water to get rid of them.
Obligation
Unfortunately, certain species of dolphins have been, for years, captured and kept in captivity to be used in circuses or water parks for entertainment. In these places, the dolphins are subdued and trained to perform certain types of acrobatics, which, although they usually do them naturally in their habitat, here, however, they perform them compulsorily.
From our site we invite you not to go to places where animals are used for this type of show, as they mean mistreatment. In addition, we must insist that all species must always be in their natural habitats, unless they require specialized attention for recovery purposes.
