The bottlenose duck is one of the most intelligent and sociable members of the marine world. These beautiful creatures are able to track their behavior, understand human symbols and gestures. They even recognize themselves in the mirror, which makes them unique among other animals. Trained bottlenose dolphins that are released into the sea always return, demonstrating their loyalty and intellectual abilities.
Where does an aphaline live?
Aphalins live in temperate and warm waters of the world’s oceans, including the Baltic, Black, Barents, Sea of Okhotsk, and Sea of Japan. They prefer to live sedentary or wander in small flocks. Aphalins are most active during the day and can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. They are also capable of jumping to a height of up to 5 meters, which is an impressive sight.
What does an aphaline look like?
An aphaline has a body size of up to 3 meters and weighs about 300 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. Aphalins have a characteristic short “beak” on their muzzle, which is clearly separated from the convex frontal-nasal “pillow”. They also have a lower jaw, slightly longer than the upper. The coloration of aphalins varies from dark gray on the upper part of the body to light on the belly. There is a black stripe around the eyes, which adds to their special charm.
Lifestyle of an aphaline
Aphalins live an active and social life. They communicate with each other by making a variety of sounds resembling whistling, barking, meowing and clapping. They use these sounds to chase prey, feed, intimidate their congeners and search for prey. Aphalins feed primarily on fish such as horse mackerel, anchovy, haddock, flounder and other species. They also hunt octopus, squid, crayfish and shrimp. Each adult bottlenose dolphin can eat up to 15 kilograms of fish a day. They hunt in flocks and help each other by surrounding a school of fish and preventing the fish from swimming away. When hunting, they can dive to depths of up to 500 meters and hold their breath for up to 15 minutes.
Aphalins are also capable of sleeping near the surface of the water, especially at night. They periodically open and close their eyelids to maintain brain activity. Sleeping bottlenose dolphins alternately sleep with one or the other hemisphere of the brain.
Interaction with humans
Aphalins are not aggressive toward humans and often show interest in him. Sometimes they even rescue drowning people. Stories of cooperation between dolphins and humans in fishing have long been known. Dolphins help drive fish from deep water to shallow water, blocking them in the area of boats and nets, so that fishermen can catch more fish. The bottlenose dolphins also tolerate captivity easily and can live up to 35 years in captivity.
Reproduction of bottlenose diving diving diving diving diving diving diving diving diving diving diving diving
The bottlenose dolphins breed in the spring and summer. Newborn bottlenose dolphins swim to the surface of the water, accompanied by their mother and female helpers, to breathe for the first time. The babies feed every 10-30 minutes and in the first weeks do not go far from the mother. They grow quickly and start catching fish on their own after 4 months, but continue to feed on their mother’s milk for about a year.
Conservation of the population of bottlenose dolphins
The Black Sea subspecies of the aphaline is listed in the Red Book of Russia, and fishing for the Black Sea aphaline has been banned since 1966. This shows that the aphalins need special protection and conservation. Efforts to conserve the population of the aphalins include monitoring their numbers, creating nature reserves, and limiting fishing activities in their habitats.
In conclusion
The bottlenose dolphin is a unique and beautiful creature with a high intelligence and friendly disposition. They are not only wonderful inhabitants of the seas, but also our reliable helpers and friends. It is our shared responsibility to protect and conserve the population of the bottlenose dolphin, so that these beautiful creatures can continue to delight us with their presence.
