Sunday, November 15, 2009

Newest Dolphin!


This post is about the newest dolphin species, dubbed the "ugliest" dolphin... I think it's sorta cute, but that's me.
So anyways: It was discovered so recently partly because it has probably been confused with the Irrawaddy Dolphin. It is called the Australian Snubfin dolphin, and was discovered in 2005. It is included in the Orcaella family, along with the Irrawaddy. Most live near Australia, but some have been found near Papua New Guinea. They can be told apart from Irrawaddies because the Snubfins are tri-colored, while their cousins are usually monochromatic, or sometimes have two colors.


The image is an Irrawaddy
lolz it has a hat =)
Below is a link with actual footage of the snubfin! Go check it out!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7536830.stm
Image link: http://swimwithdolphins.information.in.th/images/irrawaddy-cowboy-dolphin.jpg

-snoops =)

Friday, November 13, 2009

Misc...

Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in a long time. I was trying to find this book that I saw Vacquitas in-- it's a great book, and though it may be a little outdated, I will continue to look for it, and say all the info on another post.
For this post:
This is mostly bits and pieces that I have found. Baijis, Chinese River Dolphins, were thought to be extinct; this happened a few Decembers ago. Well, I have to say I was absolutely devastated.I had been hoping that pollution in the Yangtze River would lessen, but it didn't. I'm not blaming anyone, as the Yangtze is a bustling river of trade, but it still made me sad to learn of their extinction. The interesting part of this post is that I did a little bit of research, and found that scientists managed to take footage of the dolphins in the wild. They are now just critically endangered. This is still in the "red zone", but it IS a start, and I'm sure that scientists are starting small captive breeding programs.
I have a REALLY good book on dolphins, porpoises, and whales, by the way, so I'll put some info on this post. If you want to learn a LOT (and I mean a lot) on cetaceans, please read this book. It's really great! 

Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises
The bestselling guide to whales, dolphins, and porpoises
By: Mark Carwardine, R. Ewan Fordyce, Peter Gill, and Erich Hoyt
Copyright 1998, published by Fog City Press
On the cover, there is an image of a breaching orca

Awesome, Awesome book. 

--Snoops (I'm going to sign off with this name from now on)
PS In the comments, please say what I can improve on to make this blog more interesting. I want to get more readers!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Vaquitas (lil cows :D)

Hi! This is the first post in a long time; sorry, but other things in life often seem to get in front of blogging, quite unfortunately ;D...
So, getting down to business:
This post isn't really about dolphins, but about a type of porpoise. It is called the Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), which means "little cow" in Spanish. They are extremely endangered, due to being caught in nets, and they are endangered to the point of most pictures being of dead vaquitas. They are short and stocky, which is the physical structure of all porpoises. They are notably the smallest cetaceans, and reach almost five feet at the most. More on this topic later!
--Snoops  

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Note:

YAYYY!!! I got ads!! (finally) :D very, very happy

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Dolphin Strategies. Read the article; it is funny!

Dolphins are always thinking of new ways of getting food. They devise many new strategies, and then tell others of their methods. In this way, dolphins are becoming more and more efficient. Dolphins also learn quickly, and that is a key ability to mastering these new methods.
In the wild, dolphins put sponges over their beaks to protect themselves from stingers of some fish. This has become widely popular with many dolphins.
Dolphins in captivity also use new methods to earn more food, praise, and rewards from their trainers, and this article show examples of some of them. 


Saturday, June 20, 2009

Hector's Dolphins


Hector's dolphins are tiny little dolphins, at the very most about five feet long, averaging about 4 feet long. They live around New Zealand, and are quite endangered. One thing you can see that is different about them from other dolphins is that they are the only dolphins that have dorsal fins that are curved at the tip; the fins are almost like semicircles.

Image: http://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/2001/17-08-01-dolphin.jpg; The image shows a breaching Hector's dolphin. Notice the oddly shaped fin.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Your favorite-Bottlenose Dolphins!


Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are probably the most commonly known dolphins. They are shown in various films and other forms of media, as they are extremely curious, friendly, and mild-mannered. They usually live in warmer waters.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Stenella frontalis




This post is about a dolphin species which is Stenella frontalis, or the Atlantic Spotted Dolphin. Did you know that when they are young, they are born without spots, but as they get older, the spots keep coming? Also, they are extremely hard to track, unless they have a scar or any other permanent mark, as their spots can keep changing. Some have spots so close together, the dolphins seem to have a large, dark blur on their bodies, and some have distinct spots which are far away from each other.


Image: http://www.arkive.org/media/E7/E72D1DEC-036F-4A34-9A97-EE55879C5C3C/Presentation.Large/photo.jpg; The image shows an Atlantic Spotted Dolphin with its solid-colored calf

Monday, May 11, 2009

2nd post


Hi again! Now...getting back to the topic of dolphins

Today we will look at a different dolphin, which is Stenela longirostris, or the spinner dolphin. These agile dolphins love to do what they do best, which is, of course, spinning. They have been recorded doing over 10 spins in one jump! They live largely between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.

Picture: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/03/15/Spinner-Dolphin-460x-276.jpg

Sunday, May 10, 2009

About the "Anonymous"...

Hi everyone, quick thing, let us not use real names on this okay? There's been this weirdo "i heart music" and "..." who has been vandalizing the blog from the start, and I'm somewhat concerned by the fact that he/she/it knows my name...

So from now on, let us keep this fully anonymous for safety reasons. Plus, wouldn't it be awesome if the news starts talking about a mysterious organization that is saving the cetaceans?


Okay thanks! No more names from now on.

First Actual Post!



Hi again!

I'll put something for today. Did you know that some killer whales, which are actually dolphins, such as those living in Patagonia, actually come up to the shores to hunt for seals? Imagine the fright of their prey!


BTW, I'll actually start putting up ads quite soon. Please, please, please, get more people to visit!

Initiation

Hi everyone! If you are reading this, then thank you for your help.

Dolphins, all cetaceans for that matter, are in danger, and they need our help. If you can invite people to see my blog, that would be great. If enough people see it, we can start posting advertisements on this blog, and the money will be donated towards helping the dolphins. We can even adopt a dolphin or whale if we can get enough money! So please ask people to visit regularly.

An incentive to check this blog is that I will be posting some info on cetaceans(which are dolphins, whales, and porpoises), and some really cool pics, at LEAST once a week. So check here regularly.

Thanks,
Dolphin Fanatic (can't put my real name for safety reasons)

PS Please overlook the name; if you aren't a dolphin lover, still try to learn about these amazing creatures!