Miami Dolphins

George Dawson-Daily January 3, 2017 Block 1B Phalacrocorax auritus double crested cormorant Comparative Description- The Phalacrocorax auritus are outsized aquatic birds with small heads and a large kinked neck. They can grow up to 35 inches in length, and a wingspan that is between 45 to 48 inches. These birds can weigh as little as 2.6 pounds, and as much as 5.5 pounds. The male and female adults are almost the same with their characteristics, as they show no sexual dimorphism (when they male…

Killer whales should not be forced into captivity because of the orca's intelligence, what conditions are needed in order for orcas to be happy, and the lack of education that aquariums like Seaworld provide. For example, the director of the movie Blackfish responded to claims that a Seaworld trainer made about the issue of whale capacity. The trainer stated that “we as humans should not differentiate based on the intelligence level” and the director came back saying “the evidence on animals…

Have you ever heard of a stingray? Even if you have, did you know that they can weigh more than a piano? Or, that they can’t even see their prey when they hunt? Stingrays truly are full of surprises! One amazing fact about stingrays is that they spend a majority of their time serene and not very active. Most of their little movements are reactions to the waves. In addition, stingrays are often eaten by large sharks, crocodiles, orca whales, and birds as they fly along the surface of the…

Seal-world (2016) said, “Researchers believe that the Mediterranean Monk Seal is very shy and doesn’t like to be around humans. This could explain why they have moved from giving birth on land to doing so in the caves under the water. As people continue to move closer and closer into the natural habitat area of these seals it is going to require them to continue further adaptations of their current behaviors.” There are many threats to the survival of the Mediterranean monk seal such as habitat…

SeaWorld, a nautical-themed theme park located in five states across America, owns about half of the 56 orcas living in captivity. The orcas at SeaWorld are trained for entertainment and provide a fantasy-like experience for their visitors, but the terrible conditions at SeaWorld are no fantasy. Orcas are giant mammals that usually live in a vast ocean, but at SeaWorld they live in tanks and must perform for an audience everyday. SeaWorld claims that they use their orcas for important research…

Some of the most phenomenal sites that rest on this planet, lie in the most bizarre places. One of the most astonishing sites that I have ever seen, rests on the coast of the tiny island Culebra. The basic description of it is a gathering of rocks that enclose a small area but really it is so much more. It lies just a few feet away from a waterfall, so in between the creases of the rocks, water can seep in, thus resembling a pool. Although the best part was, when the hot summer air mixed with…

Bottlenose Dolphin attacks on Harbour Porpoises Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) attacks have been responsible for 318 Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) deaths between 1991 and 2010. However, almost everything we know about Bottlenose Dolphin attacks comes from the necropsies of their victims; Harbour Porpoise, as very few attacks have been observed or even documented scientifically. In the UK there are two established populations of Bottlenose Dolphins; Cardigan Bay, Wales and the…

The Slaughter of Dolphins People think that dolphins are the friendliest creatures in the ocean and no one would hurt them or even kill them. Well they are actually being killed right now. The dolphin are being slaughter in a place called Taiji, Japan. Taiji is a small town with a big secret. If you didn’t look closely, you would think they love dolphins and whales (“The Cove”). The capture of dolphins and of the killing of dolphins all started when the show called “Flipper” came out in 1964.…

central theme of The Cove is of the injustice against dolphins, in the context of being held in captivity in marine theme parks all over the world, and also within the Town of Taiji, Japan where every year hundreds are captured or slaughtered. The backstory of the film comes from a man named Richard O'Barry, who was once the chief dolphin trainer for the seven dolphins used in the film Flipper. Once he noticed how depressed the captive dolphins he trained were after one “committed suicide” by…

Common Bottlenose Dolphin: Anatomy: Common Bottlenose Dolphins are marine animals that live their whole life in the water. Their blowhole is on top of their head. Their ears are close to their eyes. They have 2 fins; a set of fins called Pectoral Fins that helps them swim. The other one is a single fin on top of their head further away from the blowhole called the Dorsal Fin that helps them keep stable against the water currents. They have a small patch of skin on their stomach that is…