Dolphins: An Animal Rescue Story

In this episode we go to Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida to meet Nicholas the rescued dolphin. Learn about dolphins, what makes them special, Nicholas's rescue story, and what you can do to help protect dolphins. Let’s promise to do our part to protect animals and our planet Because here at Animal Rescue Adventures…every animal matters, and every explorer helps.

Transcript

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Hey Explorers, welcome to Animal Rescue Adventures, the show where we meet amazing animals and become heroes for them too. I'm Steph, and today we're going on a rescue mission. Today we're visiting a very special animal named Nicholas at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida. Can you guess what kind of animal he is? That's right. Nicholas is a dolphin. Let's learn a few cool things about dolphins. Dolphins are mammals, not fish. They are warm-blooded and breathe air. They have blowholes on top of their heads to take an air when they surface. They have blubber to keep them warm in cold water. Dolphins do not have a sense of smell. Dolphins have belly buttons from their umbilica cords, just like you and I. They have excellent eyesight both in and out of the water. Dolphin calves are born with whiskers that disappear. Bottlenose dolphins have 72 to 104 teeth, but they only use them for grabbing their prey, swallowing it whole. They don't actually chew their food. There are 36 species of marine dolphins, but there are also river dolphins, including forest species in the Amazon. Nicholas is a bottlenose Atlantic dolphin. Dolphins communicate with clicks, whistles, and squeals, and can even recognize their own reflection in the mirror. Dolphins are really smart. Dolphins live in social groups called pods, cooperate to hunt, and have been known to protect humans. Dolphins have great long-term memories, with researchers finding they can recognize the signature whistles of friends they haven't seen in over 20 years. And guess what? If a dolphin is sick or injured, others will often support it, taking turns pushing it to the surface to breathe. They're very caring. Pretty awesome, right? But Nicholas didn't always feel cared for. Nicholas was rescued because when he was just a baby, he and his mother were found on Christmas Eve injured with burns and a respiratory illness. They were treated for their burns and illness, and while Nicholas healed, his mother did not survive. So what happened next? Since Nicholas had no older dolphin to teach him how to live in the wild, he has had to stay living at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium with care from the expert team. He is now 23 years old. Are you even 23 years old yet? Trivia time. What is a group of dolphins call? That's right. A pod. Dolphins don't have their sense of what? Touch, eyesight, or smell. Their smell. They can't smell. True or false? Dolphins are highly independent and like to be by themselves. False. Dolphins love being together and being social. Nicholas and his mother had what was wrong with them when the rescue team found them? They had burns, they were missing teeth, or they needed more food. That's right. They had burns that needed to be treated. All right, explorers. Here is your mission today. You can help animals like Nicholas by making sure your parents buy dolphin-safe food verified by the Earth Island Institute. Food that can tuna need to use fishing methods that don't harm dolphins. Never interact with dolphins from the wild. We want to keep dolphins wild so that they don't come too close to boats or propellers can cut them. Cut back on the use of plastics. The less plastic trash will end up in the ocean, which harms dolphins and marine life. Every small action makes a big difference. Our adventure ends today with our new friend necklace. Let's promise to do our part to protect animals and our planet. Because here at Animal Rescue Adventures, every animal matters and every explorer helps. And for the parents listening, remember to sign up for our Animal Rescue Adventures Club at www.supportanimal rescue adventures.com. That's supportanimal rescue adventures.com