In January's Land, Sea & Air, explore the world of the diverse group of marine mammals we call dolphins. All dolphins are toothed whales and the term "dolphin" refers to the five families of river dolphins and the ocean dolphin family Delphinidae that includes the familiar bottlenose dolphin, the killer whale, and about 34 other species. From the open ocean to coasts and estuaries, dolphins range in all but extreme polar waters - some even inhabit a few freshwater river basins. Dive in deep to learn more about these charismatic cetaceans.
How can you and your class explore the world of dolphins? SeaWorld and Busch Gardens offer several downloadable teacher tools for use in your classroom. Delve into dolphin diversity and discover more about dolphin natural history through a dolphin presentation. Or use an overhead to learn how to distinguish a dolphin from a porpoise. In the following activities, students can identify the major parts of a dolphin's body and learn how dolphins can swim so swiftly.
What is a dolphin? Which are the largest and smallest species? Find out the answer to these questions and discover other fascinating facts by exploring these online infobooks. Or dive into a SeaWorld podcast to learn even more about one of the ocean's top ocean predators.
How much food does a wild killer whale need to eat each day? The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute have partnered to analyze the daily nutritional requirements of SeaWorld's killer whales to discover more about the dietary needs of wild killer whales. Visit this link, to learn more about this and other projects involving land and sea animals.
Nothing compares to a hands-on experience for learning. You and your class can visit SeaWorld for an interactive investigation of dolphins and other marine animals at a two, three, or six-night Adventure Camp program offered just for groups.
