There are 32 different species of dolphins.They are are very majestic swimmers. Just how fast can they swim? Up to 40 miles an hour!! Dolphins depend on that swimming ability to catch food. They can also dive up to 5 km. Most of their food, fish and squid lives at about 2 km. Dolphins travel and hunt in medium sized groups called pods. A pod consists normally on 20 to 30 dolphins. Here's a fact I bet you didn't know, 5 species of dolphins can live in fresh water!!! While hunting, a pod of dolphins quickly shoot through a pod of fish, mouths wide open. Any fish that is not quite fast enough will be swallowed up whole. Dolphins can jump up 16 feet from the surface of the water. How do dolphins drink? Well, they just open their mouths, right? Wrong! The dolphin's prey (Squid and fish) contain alot of water. The dolphin simply obtains its water from its food.

Of all the dolphins I love, the Atlantic White Sided is my favorite. They are one of the smallest. But, in my opinion, they are the smartest, funniest, and most lovable dolphins in the world. They are black with dark grey flanks. They have a long white oval below the dorsal fin. There is a yellow-ochre band across its tail. Black rings go around the eyes, thick tail. The population can not even be estimated though many believe the species population is abundant. Actually, the population is about 40% the size of the white beaked dolphins. Atlantic White Sided dolphins have a wide variety of prey. The main foods are squid, smelt, herring, and silver hake. Also the occasional shrimp.