A Golden Isles tour is likely to feature dolphin watching somewhere
along the way. Find out how special these creatures truly are by
knowing something about them in advance of your trip.
First off, one of the biggest misconceptions about Dolphins is that
they are fish. They are actually mammals, and need to come to the
water's surface regularly to breathe air, just like other land animals.
They are capable of diving up to 260 meters deep for up to 15 minutes
long, but rarely stay underwater longer than a few minutes.
Remarkably, dophins, along with whales and porpoises, are descendants
of ancient terrestrial mammals. Paleontologists believe that they
became aquatic about 50 million years ago.
Perfectly designed for life in the water, they are able to chase prey
(mostly fish) at high speeds. Typically a soft gray color, their
characteristic understated markings vary with each species. They
possess a unique organ used for echolocation (navigating by emitting
ultrasonic clicking sounds that bounce off objects).
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