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Most dolphin species eat pelagic fish and squid, but some species having a different and more diverse diet.

Depending on the species and their size, dolphins can consume from several pounds up to 500 pounds of food per day.

An interesting fact is that dolphins do not chew their food.

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Bottlenose Dolphin

Adult bottlenose dolphins eat approximately 5% of their

body weight in food per day.

Adult males usually weight about 1,100 pounds.

Bottlenose Dolphin

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Bottlenose dolphins typically feed on fish and invertebrates found near the shoreline, while deep water bottlenose dolphins feed on pelagic squid and fish.

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are their favorite fish species.

The mullet the tuna the mackerel

and croakers

Bottlenose Dolphins remove the meat from spiny fishes, reducing the chance of injury from sharp spines.

Interesting Fact!

Amazon River Dolphin

This species, which can be found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, has a very different diet.

or BotoThis dolphin feeds on fish and crustaceans found at the bottom

of the river.

Its diet includes at least 43 different fish species.

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A single boto’s stomach may contain more fish species than the total number of prey species seen in other dolphin species.

2.5% of their body weight every day. Botos are usually solitary feeders and consume about

Interesting Fact!

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Killer whales are the largest extant members of the dolphin family and need another type of diet.

The diet of killer whales varies from

one region to another.

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eat a wide variety of large prey including: fish, seals, penguins, sea lions, sea otters, sea turtles, and even other dolphins and some shark species.

Orcas

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Killer whales often hunt cooperatively in pods for food.

Orcas eat on average 500 pounds of food a day, but they can eat much more than that.

An Orca stranded in Denmark in the 1800s had the remnants of 13 porpoises and 14 seals in its stomach.

Interesting Fact!

Hunting strategies

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There are several methods used by dolphins when foraging. Some of them are exclusive to a single population.

Dolphins use high frequency echolocation to locate and capture prey. They also use multiple feeding strategies, including the "fish whacking," where they strike a fish with their flukes and knock it out of the water.

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A diversity of sensory-aided strategies including

Prey herding is a common tactic used by dolphins, porpoises, whales and pinnipeds and it involves the manipulation of a complete school of fish to increase the chances to catch more fishes with less energy.

passive hearing, vision, and infraspecific behavioral cues, are likely used by dolphins.

One common feeding technique is herding.

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is a method where dolphins chase fish into shallow water to catch them more easily as their chances to escape are reduced.

Some species also whack fish with their flukes, stunning them and knocking them out of the water.

Corralling

1. Animal Diversity Web. Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.

2. The Amazon: River in a Rain Forest- By Molly Aloian

3. Sea World Info Books

4. Killer Whales of the World: Natural History and Conservation - By Robin W. Baird

5. Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins - by Jeanette A. Thomas, Cynthia F. Moss, Marianne Vater.

6. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals - by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, J. G.M. Thewissen

7. Wikipedia

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