Investigating the Reasons Why and How Do Dolphins Jump?

Dolphins are sea mammals. They are among the most intelligent animals on earth. Dolphins can dive up to 1,000 feet underwater and can live up to 50 years. There are around 40 different species of dolphins. Dolphins usually migrate in search of food. Dolphins are fast swimmers. They can swim at a speed of 20 miles per hour. Can dolphins jump? This article will tell you more.

Breaching

This is the behavior of a dolphin jumping out of water. Dolphins have many reasons why they jump out of water.

Can dolphins jump?

The answer to this question is yes! Dolphins do jump. Dolphins are flexible and extremely acrobatic. A dolphin has a light streamlined body, which helps it swim fast and jump high. High speeds underwater help dolphins propel themselves out of the water and into the air.

Dolphins usually perform in marine parks and aquatic shows together with other aquatic animals like whales. Dolphins can easily learn tricks. Their intelligence makes it easy for them to learn tricks. They then perform the tricks in front of audiences in the shows.

Some of the tricks dolphins perform include flipping through the air, balancing balls with their mouths, jumping through hoops, balancing above the water on their tails, diving, and leaping into the air. They get rewards when they execute the tricks well.

When and Why do dolphins jump out of water?

Dolphins jump out of water for various reasons. For them to do this, they must be swimming at a fast speed. Dolphins jump out of water for fun, to remove parasites that might have stuck on their skin, to improve navigation, and to improve visibility.

Remove Parasites : dolphins have smooth skin. Dolphins are sometimes attacked by parasites, which stick to their skin. This can irritate them. When they jump out of the water, they may get rid of the parasites. When they jump out of the water, they scratch their bodies against the surface of the water hence killing the parasites.

Communication : jumping out of water acts as non-verbal communication. Dolphins need to communicate with other dolphins especially when hunting. They jump out of the water to communicate that there is a predator around like a killer whale.

Navigation : dolphins jump out of the water to look at the shape of the coastline, which helps them in navigation. They also jump to look for birds feeding. It indicates there are fish there: the dolphin can go and hunt.

Dolphins can also jump out of the water to show leadership. The leader of a pod will jump out of the water to communicate with the leader of another pod by jumping out of the water into the air.

Dolphins also jump out of the water to save energy. Water is denser than air hence dolphins use more energy in water than in air. The distance a dolphin covers while jumping on air uses less energy than swimming.

How high can dolphins jump out of the water?

Dolphins are high jumpers. The height of a dolphin’s jump will depend on the type of dolphin and if wild or tamed. Wild dolphins can jump up to 15 feet. Tamed dolphins who perform in aquariums can jump to a height of 25 feet. They do this while performing tricks taught to them.

How does a dolphin jump out of water?

For dolphins to jump out of the water, they need to be swimming at a fast pace. When a dolphin is moving fast enough, it can push itself out of the water. They do this at a high velocity.

To get the speed they require, dolphins swim down a deep spot below the water surface then start swimming upwards. When they reach the water surface, they can break through and leap into the air.

Dolphins are mammals. It means that they use their lungs to swim. They, therefore, need to breathe the oxygen in the air. Jumping out of water makes it possible for a dolphin to get the oxygen they need from the air.

Do dolphins jump out of water for fun?

Yes. Dolphins are playful, social, and intelligent creatures. They are also playful and will sometimes swim with boats for fun. They also like to show themselves off to humans and jump to entertain them in the wild.

The fact that dolphins are playful has contributed to humans taming and using them in zoos and aquatic shows. The trainers teach them to perform tricks like flipping, balancing, jumping, and leaping. The trainers then give dolphins rewards like toys and food.

Why do dolphins swim in front of ships and boats?

You might have seen dolphins swim in front or alongside boats or ships, either in real life or in movies. Dolphins are playful mammals and usually find the company of a boat fun. They have their motivations and preferences for the behavior.

Dolphins follow ships and boats depending on the type of ship or boat, the passengers in it, and the dolphin’s mood. Dolphins are intelligent. They have a way of knowing which ship or boat is passing through their territories.

Food : dolphins follow ships and boats for food. Dolphins know that ships and boats have a lot of food. While at sea, the passengers in the ships usually throw fish and hope the dolphins will follow the ship. They do this to see the dolphins.

The passengers or crew members of the ship also sometimes throw waste food in the sea. The dolphins follow the sips to get the food.

For the fishing ships and boats, they usually cast their fishing nets. Dolphins know that this is another source of their food supply. The dolphins know that the sight of fishing nets means that there is food. They, therefore, follow the fishing vessels. Sometimes Dolphin do whistle for food.

Helps in swimming : when in the sea, boats and ships produce waves as they move in the water. The dolphins take advantage of the waves created and move them to move quickly through the water.

If the waves created are high, the dolphins get power. The power helps the dolphins to swim. They do not use a lot of energy while doing this because they are already getting help from the waves produced by the large ships and boats.

Curiosity : some dolphins approach ships and boats out of curiosity. Dolphins approach unfamiliar objects to learn about them. Dolphins are fascinated by the noise, movements, and motion of the boats and ships and will follow them.

Fun : dolphins love to have fun. Some of the things they do like following or swimming along boats and ships are sometimes purely for fun. They like to entertain people because of their social nature. They will thus sometimes follow a ship or boat to show the passengers their skills.

Conclusion

Dolphins are intelligent sea mammals. They spend most of their time on the water and sometimes do jump out of the water. Their jumps can be high and range from 15 to 30 feet above the air. This jump helps them in breathing.

Jumping out of the water also helps them remove parasites from their bodies and is sometimes done for fun. Dolphins follow ships and boats for food and to give them more power while they are swimming. I hope this article has given you the needed information about dolphins.