Sharks! No Wait, Dophins

As we headed out one day in the boat we were surrounded by dorsal fins, hungry shark-looking creatures.  Scenes from Jaws played through my mind, remembering how in the movie, which is based strictly on fact, the shark was able to bite through the hull of the boat and eat the passengers.  Well, that was not happening on my watch!  There was no way that would be our fate, and the main reason for that was, well, because these were dolphins, and to my knowledge, dolphins don’t eat people… yet.

Honestly this experience was awesome!  The dolphins were swimming with our boat, jumping into the air, and putting on a show for us.

As a part of Ellie’s home-school, she had an assignment of writing a report on dolphins. Here is her report, everything you ever wanted to know about Bottlenose Dolphins, by Ellie:

The Bottlenose Dolphins of Boca

They are called Bottlenose Dolphins because their nose is shaped like a bottle.

Adult Bottlenose Dolphins are about 3-13 feet in length, their beaks are usually about 3 inches long.  They weigh from 330-1,130 pounds. Bottlenose Dolphins eat 13-33 pounds of food per day, usually eating any kind of fish – even octopus. They swallow their food whole.  They can dive depths of over 1,640 feet and leap up to 20 feet out of the water.  They are mammals not fish.

Females live about 40 years. Females give birth every 2-3 years with a gestation period of 12 months. Usually nursing for 8 months. They usually feed their babies in the early morning and late afternoon.  Baby dolphins are called calves. Babies are usually born tail first so that they don’t drown. They are usually 3-4 feet and  weigh about 44 pounds.  Calves stay with their mamas for 3-6 years.

Males are larger than females. Males don’t live for much longer than 30 years, because they have a hard life.

They are largely found in temperate and tropical waters. A group of dolphins is called a pod, there can be up to 1,000 dolphins in one pod, but there’s usually only 10-30.

They whistle, squeal or squeak. They can make up to 1,000 clicking noises per second.n The sounds we can’t hear may be the most important.

Predators are tiger sharks, dusky sharks and bull sharks. Killer whales may prey on them but it is rare. They will respond to sharks with tolerance, avoidance and aggression.

Ellie’s 30 second drawing of the anatomy of a dolphin:

A short video:

Let the paparazzi session begin:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praise the Lord, again and again, for His amazing creations!

16 Comments

  1. Mom - Nancy Wood
    Apr 22, 2012

    AWESOME!!! Looooove Ellie’s drawing & the video!!! =)

  2. matt.w@usdigital.com
    Apr 22, 2012

    I love dolphins! Do you see them very often on your trips?
    We just had Bonnie, Jess, Andilee and Bill over last night. What a pleasant evening getting to know Andilee and Bill. Bonnie is always a delight and Jess had a great time on my iPad.
    Truly miss you guys.
    Love,
    Matt

    • Bobby
      Apr 22, 2012

      We see them very often, about half the time we go out, sometimes everyday. Its awesome!

      • Sandi
        Apr 22, 2012

        Now that you have pet parrots, I imagine you’ll be having pet dolphins…maybe they’ll make a TV show about your pet dolphin. Oh.wait. That’s been done…but I’m maybe you’re too young to remember Flipper!

        Thanks for the consistent updates-I’m looking forward to seeing/smelling your plumerias & eating your lemons & being with you…someday. For now, we’re praying for you faithfully & love you all.

  3. Bill Jordan
    Apr 22, 2012

    So, why didn’t I see any fishing rods? I hear dolphins taste a lot like tuna!

    I am kidding. Kind of.

    What an awesome experience. We miss you guys a ton, but we really enjoy reading your blogs. I do have to point out though, that there must be some sort of time warp between Panama and here. Your 30 second video was only 17 seconds. 😉

    We love you guys.

    • Bill Jordan
      Apr 22, 2012

      Wait. It was a 30 second drawing, and a short video. The video seems longer than the drawing. I must be confused.

  4. Ruth
    Apr 22, 2012

    Thank you Ellie for a wonderful report.

  5. Paula
    Apr 22, 2012

    The kids loved seeing the dolphins (and so did I) amazing 🙂
    Always love seeing your emails, knowing you’ve created a new post!!!!

  6. Diane Hanson
    Apr 22, 2012

    Love all your reports on what’s happening in your life down there and of course, just love the pics and videos. Wow, seeing all those dolphins right next to your boat. What an experience. Keep it all coming.

  7. Liz Bolt
    Apr 22, 2012

    So, why do the males have such a hard life? Seems to me the females are the ones doing the work. 🙂 Absolutely loved both the report and the pictures!

  8. Paul
    Apr 22, 2012

    On my boat, as is the law, children must always WEAR life vests when the boat is under way. Something to think about.

  9. Mama
    Apr 23, 2012

    Me encantó tu reporte Ellie…y loss delfines también, si yo fuera un animal escogería ser un delfín =)esos han sido mis animales favoritos. Thank you for the updates, Bobby, I look forward to your reports. Besitos mil, me encantó verlos hoy =)
    Lo del salvavidas no es una mala idea……

  10. Jennifer
    Apr 23, 2012

    Bobby, you are hilarious!
    Ellie, you are a wonderful writer!
    Love the post and pics!!
    Thank you for taking the time to indulge us with your delightful adventures. It really is a treat to get to see the new posts.
    Love you guys!

  11. Jon Davis Jr.
    Apr 24, 2012

    Wow! That is really amazing.

    I love God and I love Adventure!

    🙂

    • Bonnie
      Apr 25, 2012

      Wow! Incredible, amazing creation and love your narration, thanks for educating us Ellie 😉 … eat up every word every chance I get. Thank you for sharing and posting video! 🙂 Keo Thai peeps send their Hellos!

  12. Lucy
    Apr 28, 2012

    WOW!!! Every time I come to this site…I am having the WOW moment!!! Life changing experience. thanks for sharing!!! You guys reminds me of ” the wild life of wood’s family ” love and miss you guys! Can’t wait for more blogs!! Always in my prayer! God bless you!

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