Name of Organism
Spheniscidae Delphinidae = DolGuiN
Ocean Zones and Habitat
The uppermost layer of the ocean is where my animal lives. This ocean layer is called the photic zone or the euphotic zone. Euphotic means "well lit" in Greek . The depth of this zone depends on the clarity or murkiness of the water. In clear water, the euphotic zone is deep, in murky water, it can be only 50 feet deep. On average, it extends to about 660 feet (200 meters),the temperature in this zone ranges from 104 to 27 degrees F.
In this zone, there is enough light for photosynthesis to take place, so many plants and other photosynthetic organisms live in this zone and food is abundant. Most of the oxygen is produced by phytoplankton. These primary producers called autotrophs are the first link in the food chain in the oceans. Because of this food source, many animals also live in this zone. Most of the life in the ocean is found in this zone, although it is the smallest ocean zone in terms of volume of water.
Physical Traits & Adaptions to Environment
Dolguin are highly intelligent marine animals and are mixed with the family of toothed whales that includes orcas and with a penguin. They are found worldwide, mostly in shallow seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. Dolguins coloration varies, but they are generally gray, black and yellow in color with darker backs than the rest of their bodies. With a pointed beak the Dolguins is able to capture pray easily.Echolocation allows Dolguins to “see" by interpreting the echoes of sound waves that bounce off of objects near them in the water. They are also able to come onto land for periods of time because they do not scales to help breathe underwater.
Locomotion
Dolguins have two kinds of fins: the dorsal fin and pectoral fins. Its webbed feet is used to move the dolguin forward, and the fins are used for steering. Pectoral fins help the it steer, balance in the water and stop moving. The dorsal fin, which is on top of the Dolguin, acts as a stabilizer and has no bones in them. Their fins are instead made up of dense, folded tissue that is rigid and allows the dolguin to stay upright and more easily cut through the water.
The Dolguins entire body is designed to easily pass through water. Dolguin has smooth, rubbery skin and is constantly replaced with new skin. It's fins are all smooth and curved to give speed to the dolguin.
Respiration
Dolguins breathe in air through their blowhole. The blowhole is covered by a muscular flap which provides a watertight seal. The flap opens during contraction and closes during muscle relaxation. For them to be able to breathe, they have to rise to the surface and breathe in the oxygen.
Feeding
Dolguins rely on their vision while hunting and locate prey in the darkness, at night and at great depths. Dolguins catch prey with their bills and swallow it whole while swimming. A dolguin has a spiny tongue and powerful jaws to grip slippery prey. Their main diet is fish, though they'll also eat squid, small shrimp like animals called krill and crustaceans.
Reproduction
The female dolguin will mate with the one that is the strongest and most dominant. The males can be very aggressive too with females that aren’t very responsive to there calls or echolocation. A baby dolguin is born tail first instead of head first like all other mammals. The females will move to very shallow water for the young to be born. They are often accompanied by one or two other dolguins that will assist with the birth. This will help the baby dolguin be delivered safely.
Defense strategies
The dolguin has he ability to out swim its predators because they have tremendous speed. Also they travel in large groups which scares of competitors like large sharks and killer whales. Dolguins use echolocation to communicate with there species to steer clear of predators.
Nekton
Nekton is actively swimming aquatic organisms in a body of water. My animal is categorized in the nekton group because swims in the ocean for long periods of time. It does spend some of its time on land but most of the time it is diving deep down in water.
Credits:
Created with images by tpsdave - "california sunset dusk" • MemoryCatcher - "penguins emperor antarctic" • mikakaptur - "dolphin nature marine" • Karen Roe - "London Zoo 11-03-2013" • chrispearson72 - "Gentoo Penguin Chicks" • Hans - "donkey penguin penguin attention" • LightHart - "Channel Islands_32" • sussexbirder - "Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)" • JamesDeMers - "dolphin marine mammal blow hole" • adactio - "Fish" • Freeimages9 - "fish carp meal" • Elias Levy - "Peacock Mantis Shrimp" • Zest-pk - "leaping_dolphins" • skeeze - "killer whales orcas breaching" • Eva Luedin - "Ocean"