An adult Dolphin eats about 30 pounds of food a day.

Gray Atlantic Dolphins have a life span of between 25 and 40 years. Dolphins and all other aquatic mammals flap their tails up and down. All fish flap their tails from side to side.

Dolphins cannot drink salt water. They get their water from the food they eat.

A Dolphin's slick skin helps them glide through the water with little effort. Dolphins also secrete fine oil that makes them even more efficient as they “slip and slide” through the water.

Dolphins can communicate at distances of 6 miles or more. Many whales can communicate at distances of over 200 miles and some scientists believe that, in certain cold currents, aquatic mammals may be able to hear each other at distances of over a thousand miles.

Dolphins have been around for a long time. Modern dolphins, as we know them today, existed 15 million years ago. Modern humans have been around for about 150 thousand years.

Dolphins never sleep, or at least they do not sleep in a manner similar to humans. Dolphins actually sleep with one eye open - half their brain sleeps while the other half stays awake. This allows the dolphins to come to the surface to breath and to watch for predators.

Dolphins are very efficient breathers. Dolphins can exhale and inhale, filling their lungs completely in three tenths of a second.

A dolphin will exchange about 70 to 80 percent of the air in its lungs with every breath. Humans exchange 20 percent of the air in their lungs with every breath, and the best trained human athletes may get up to 35 percent - Not close to the dolphins.

In the aquatic world, dolphins are among the most talented swimmers. When it comes to agility, speed, and jumping ability, they have few peers.

Many dolphin species can swim at 25 M.P.H. and have been known to reach 30 M.P.H. - Although they normally cruise at much slower speeds.

Some dolphins can jump 30 feet in low trajectory leaps and can jump straight up 15 to 20 feet with ease.  Scientists aren’t sure why dolphins in the wild jump. It could be to get a look at their above water surroundings, to attract other dolphins, or, as many dolphin experts believe, they do it just for the fun of it.

Dolphins posses a biological sonar system called echolocation. In their aquatic world sight can sometimes be useless.  The dolphins, however, can see with sound.  They broadcast clicking sounds, and when a portion of the sound waves strike an object, the sound energy bounces back toward the dolphin.  The dolphin senses the returning echo and visualizes the object.

Dolphins can detect size, distance, motion, and multiple objects in the foreground and distance simultaneously.  In some cases dolphins can see inside or behind an object.  Scientists and sonar experts have marveled at the complexity and sensitivity of  dolphin echolocation abilities.  Many scientists believe it may be impossible for man to ever build a device that can duplicate “dolphin sonar”.

Dolphins have no natural enemies or predators. Sharks are probably the only sea creatures that might pose a threat to dolphins. Man is the most dangerous creature with which dolphins must contend. Fishing nets have caused the deaths of millions of dolphins but are now being controlled by international agreements and laws.