π¬ How do dolphins breathe in the sea?
Dolphins leap happily out of the sea. Let's hear the story of this clever ocean friend.
π· A dolphin looking right at us underwater. Look at its smiling mouth!
What kind of animal is the dolphin?
Dolphins live in the sea, but they aren't fish. They are mammals that give birth to babies and feed them milk, just like people. They can't breathe underwater, so they come up to the surface and take in air through a blowhole on top of their heads. That's why dolphins come up for air so often.
Dolphins make clicking sounds and listen to the echoes that bounce back from objects to figure out what's around them. This lets them find food and avoid obstacles even where it's hard to see. They also talk with friends using whistles, and each dolphin is said to have its own special whistle that works like a name.
Dolphins swim and hunt together in groups called pods, and they are often seen helping one another. When they sleep, they rest one half of the brain at a time, so they can still come up to breathe and keep watch while sleeping.
π Things to observe
- Find the blowhole on top of a dolphin's head in a photo.
- Compare a dolphin's tail with a fish's tail. A dolphin's tail lies flat, sideways.
- Watch a video of a dolphin leaping and look at the shape its body makes.
ποΈ Tips for drawing together with your child
- Draw a body curved like a banana, then add a pointy snout and a dorsal fin.
- Quickly sweep blue and navy across the page for a cool ocean.
- Finish in under a minute, and Splashy Dot will spin around with joy.
π¬ Let's talk about it
- If you had a whistle for a name like a dolphin, what would yours sound like?
- Why do dolphins come up to the surface so often?
πͺ In the game: Splashy Dot
In Animal Drawing Shop, the dolphin visits as a customer named βSplashy Dot.β Splashy Dot asks for pictures on themes like playing in the sea, friends, waves, and loves it when you finish in under a minute, swoosh!. Use plenty of the customer's favorite colors and draw with care to earn more coins. Try drawing with the real animal's features in mind!
Favorite colors: bluenavy