| | | The dolphin belongs to the class of mammals, the suborder of toothed whales.
The species representing this suborder can mostly be found in the Black Sea.
Bottlenose dolphins are socially organized; they live in groups containing up to 20 individuals.
The dolphins are polygamous animals. | |
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| | | The Black Sea bottlenose dolphins give birth to their young every four years; the pregnancy period lasts 12 months. Dolphin females usually give birth to their first young at the age of seven or eight years.
A newborn weighs 11 – 12 kilograms.
A newborn is 0.85 – 1.3 m long.
An adult dolphin weighs 150 to 280 kg, in exceptional cases up to 360 kg. | |
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| | | The length of an adult dolphin is 1.9 – 3 meters; in some cases they can grow to 3.6 m in length.
Usually, male dolphins are 10 to 20 cm longer than females.
They can dive to a depth of 90 meters in search of food.
The dolphins feed on all kinds of molluscs, shrimps, squids, and various species of fish. | |
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| They can stay under water without breathing for about 6 – 7 minutes.
In the water they can swim at a speed of 45 km/h and jump up to 5 m above the water surface.
They use their echo-sounding system to find food and their way in the water. | |
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