D - Dolphin
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Who doesn’t love a dolphin Did you know Killer Whales are actually dolphins? 🐬 - There are around 40 species of dolphin across the world, including a few freshwater species, and there are several species that can be found around the UK - Dolphins track their food using echolocation. A bottlenose dolphin can make up to a thousand clicks per second! - They also make lots of other noises to communicate with each other. Marine traffic creates a lot of underwater noise pollution which interferes with dolphins communicating - One of the main threats dolphins face is being accidentally caught in commercial fishing nets. Dolphins have to surface regularly to breathe, so being caught can lead to drowning - Dolphins are highly intelligent - they can recognise themselves in a mirror and have been observed using tools - They are excellent nappers - rather than sleeping for several hours at a time, they’re able to switch off one half of their brain at a time, and do so for 15 minutes a time, several times a day Just like mermaids; dolphins come to the surface to breathe and they like to blow bubbles!! And the ‘dolphin-kick’ is how mermaids swim! If you ever find a stranded dolphin, please get in contact with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) immediately. If you’re interested in becoming a Volunteer Marine Mammal Medic, check their website for your local training course! 🐋