Dolphin Podcast Project

The podcast group discusses different types of dolphins, including the common bottlenose, striped, Australian snubfin, and Amazon river dolphins. They talk about their characteristics, habitats, and diets. The group also highlights the negative impact of pollution and human involvement on dolphins, including the dangers of trash in the ocean and pollutants in rivers. Initiatives to reduce pollution are mentioned. Hi! This is the podcast group of Catherine, Cece, Jenna, and Everett, and today we're talking dolphins. There are four types of dolphins we'll be focusing on primarily in order to get an idea of the variety that takes place within these species. Then we'll discuss the effects of pollution and human involvement that are taking a toll on dolphins in today's modern world. The common bottlenose dolphin is cosmopolitan, meaning that it's found all over the world. These are the type of dolphins that you might think of when you imagine the friendly oceanic performers that love to entertain humans and play in the water. They have been well-known for a long time, even dating back to the time of ancient Greece and Rome. These dolphins are strong swimmers who like to hang around at the surface. They generally can be separated into two groups, the offshore ones and the inshore ones. There are a few key differences. Offshore bottlenoses are more migratory depending on the season, but inshore bottlenoses tend to stay in the same area no matter the time of year. The other big difference lies in their features. The offshore variety is typically larger, stockier, and darker in color, while the inshore variety is typically smaller and paler, with longer flippers. In general, bottlenoses are among the larger species of dolphins and typically live in groups of around 15 members. As far as their diet, these dolphins eat fish, krill, and other crustaceans. Some offshore dolphins will even eat squid. The striped dolphin also lives worldwide, mostly in warmer waters. They are known for having a long, narrow black stripe beginning at their eye that travels down their body and their narrow beaks. They move quickly and with energy and have robust bodies. They are very social animals and they live in groups of around 20 to 50 members. Their diet usually consists of small fish that live in schools as well as cephalopods. Our third species we're looking at is the Australian snubfin dolphin. These species live primarily from North Australia to Papua New Guinea, hence the name. They have a very distinctive appearance due to having heads that basically look like extensions of their necks and have basically no beaks. They live in small groups and are known to be shy, slow-moving, and not particularly active, which I am sure many of us, including me, can relate to. Finally, we have the Amazon river dolphin. This is a river species rather than an oceanic one. They have long beaks and distinct bulbous foreheads. The blow from an Amazon river dolphin is often heard before they are visible and sound-wise resemble the noise of a human sighing. I imagine that if you're looking for this species, hearing your buddy Steve, Ho Humpton himself, is going to lead to disappointment when you realize he isn't a dolphin. They are usually sighted either alone or in a pair. They notably have some varying pink pigments in their coloring. They generally eat fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and small turtles. Sorry turtles, we were using paper struts to try and save you, but it looks like these dolphins got there first. They are rather widespread and can be found in some parts of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Amazonian Brazil. From December to June, they can even be found in flooded forests. Trash in the ocean can sometimes be mistaken as food by oceanic life or dolphins and can become entangled and trapped by the trash. When oceanic life eats plastic, it is not just hurting the schools of small fish or krill who are prey for the dolphins, it also moves along to reach the dolphins who are the predators. We humans are destroying our oceans by filling it with trash. Trash-flooded oceans are damaging to oceanic life in a number of ways. However, we're going to focus on how it affects the four types of dolphins named above who make their home in the ocean. Rivers can be polluted by trash as well as chemicals. River dolphins can ingest pollutants via trash or chemicals. Two types of initiatives to reduce pollution affecting river dolphins are government-slash-intergovernmental-led initiatives and industry-led initiatives. River dolphins are at the top of the food chain and the greatest risk to them is the buildup of pollutants in what they eat. For more UN videos visit www.un.org