Researched by Emma Teehan. There are 32 species of dolphins. The dolphins are closely related to the whale family. Dolphins like whales breathe through a blow hole through the top of their head. As they travel they breed the surface of the water about every minute or so.
Dolphins feed mostly on fishes but some also take shellfish.
Some kinds live in great rivers of Asia and South America, but the best known are found in the sea. There are several kinds in the Atlantic ocean including the common dolphin, which swim in schools, or groups, and sometimes comes into the coastal waters of great Britain. Dolphins often follow ships. Most dolphins are more or less black above and whitish underneath. Being members of the whale family they are warm blooded and the females give birth to young dolphins and feed them with milk.