What's your favorite sea animal? There are many beautiful and cute sea animals to choose from. But I think dolphins are the cutest sea animal! They are very friendly and playful. Also, they are very smart. I'm sure most of you have seen a dolphin show at the zoo before, right?

As for me, I have seen many, many dolphin shows! Why? I just love to see them! Other than the fact that they are cute, dolphins are amazing animals, too. If you want to learn more about the beautiful animals, keep reading!

Are Dolphins Fish?
Most dolphins live in the ocean. And some dolphins live in rivers. But they are not fish. They are mammals just like us. They are warm-blooded like man. And they give birth to one baby at a time. The dolphin baby is called a calf. There are almost 40 kinds of dolphins in the world. The biggest dolphin is the killer whale. Killer whale calves are about 2 meters long at birth and can grow to over 6 meters long. The male killer whale weighs 8 tons and the female weighs 4 tons. The smallest dolphin in the world is called the Maui dolphin or Hectors dolphin. These dolphins live in New Zealand. The Maui dolphin females grow to 1.7 meters long and weigh up to 50 kilograms. Males are slightly smaller and lighter. Sadly, only 150 Maui dolphins left in the world today.

How Do Dolphins Sleep?
Like us, dolphins also sleep. But they cannot go into a full deep sleep. This is because they have to be conscious to breathe. Dolphins breathe through their blowhole located at the top of their head. In order to breathe when they are sleeping, dolphins let one half of their brain sleep at a time! Dolphins sleep about 8 hours a day in this way.

What Do Dolphins Eat?
Dolphins eat several kinds of fish and squid. On average, an adult dolphin will eat 4-9 percent of its body weight in fish. So a 250-kilogram dolphin will eat 10-22.5 kilograms fish per day.

How Long Do Dolphins Live?
Mother dolphins carry their young inside their womb for about 12 months. The baby will suckle from its mother for up to 4 years. But the baby will stay with its mother for between 3-6 years. During that time, it learns many things from its mother. Dolphins spend a large part of their day looking for food. They may either hunt alone or together as a group. Dolphins live between 40 and 50 years.