Orca

Did you know orcas are also called Killer whales? Orcas get the name “Killer Whale” because they are very violent to other animals in the wild. Another native name for an orca is called Blackfish.

Orcas live in pods. Pods are groups of marine mammals of the same species. If another animal that is not a part the pod comes into the pod the males will kill that animal. Orcas can swim 100 miles a day in their pods.

In captivity orcas are kept in 1% of their natural spaces and they are slaves to entertainment. They also die at the age of 25-30 years old.

Female orcas can live up to 100 years old while the males live to 50 years.

Orcas dorsal fins can be up to 6 and a half feet tall!

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Bottlenose Dolphins

This post is for my big brother, Decker. He loves dolphins!

You probably guessed that Bottlenose Dolphins got their name because of the shape of their beak, but did you know that they can’t smell? Nope. But they make up for that
because they have great eyesight and hearing skills!

Bottlenose Dolphins can make there own music by the sounds they make. They send messages in many ways. Using clicks and whistles, they can alert each other if they smell danger or if fish are swimming by.

Bottlenose dolphins use echolocation to find food and other things, just like bats! First, they make a high-pitched sound. Next, that sound travels through the water and hits it’s target. Then the sound returns to the dolphin like an echo. This echo tells the dolphin how far away something is, how big it is, and how fast it is moving. Their great hearing helps! Some scientists think that the sounds travel through their jaws and into their inner ear.

Dolphins are mammals like us, so that means that they have to breath air. They breath through their blowholes, and these blowholes open and close to let air in and keep water out.

Manatee

Manatee sea cow cristal river florida
© NICOLAS LARENTO – Fotolia.com

Two weekends ago, my friends Trey, Victoria, Brooklyn, and I put up a lemonade stand. We wanted to raise enough money to adopt a Manatee from the Save the Manatee Club, because Manatees are endangered. My brother helped us by making colorful signs that said “Save the Manatees.”  When we were done, we had raised $24. My mom gave us an extra dollar so we would have enough money to adopt a Manatee named Whiskers.

Did you know that manatee’s closest relative is the elephant?  They can grow 13′ long and can weigh up to 1,300 pounds?  They are pretty big, and they are good swimmers. They swim about 5 miles per hour. They swim by flapping their tails up and down, and steer with their stretchy flippers. If they’re in really shallow water, they use their front flippers to walk on while they eat sea plants and grasses. Because they are so slow, and like warm, shallow water, Manatees often get hurt by boat propellers when the drivers don’t see them.

Manatees are sea mammals like whales and dolphins. They live in water, and go to the surface to breathe air. They can stay underwater for up to 15 minutes, if they are resting.

A long time ago, people used to hunt Manatees for their meat, skin, and oil. Today, there are laws to protect them. If you would like to adopt a Manatee, or learn even more about them, you can go to www.SaveTheManatee.org.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

Did you know that Leatherback Sea Turtles are the biggest turtles on earth? I learned a lot about them on National Geographic Kids.