WhatDo Dolphins Eat?

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Most dolphin species eat pelagic sh and squid, but some species having a different and more diverse diet.

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Depending on the species and their size, dolphins can consume from several pounds up to 500 pounds of food per day.

An interesting fact is that dolphins do not chew their food.

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Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin

Adult bottlenose dolphins eat approximately 5% of their body weight in food per day.

Adult males usually weight about 1,100 pounds.

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Bottlenose dolphins typically feed on sh and invertebrates found near the shoreline, while deep water bottlenose dolphins feed on pelagic squid and sh.

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The mullet the tuna

the mackerel

and croakers

are their favorite sh species.

Interesting Fact!

Bottlenose Dolphins remove the

meat from spiny shes, reducing the chance of injury from sharp spines.

Amazon River Dolphin

This species, which can be found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, has a very different diet.

or Boto

This dolphin feeds on sh and crustaceans found at the bottom of the river.

Its diet includes at least 43 different sh species.

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Botos are usually solitary feeders and consume about 2.5% of their body weight every day.

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Interesting Fact!
A single botos stomach may contain more sh species than the total number of prey species seen in other dolphin species.

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largest extant members of the dolphin family and need another type
Killer whales are the of diet.

The diet of killer whales varies from one region to another.

Orcas
eat a wide variety of large prey including: sh, seals, penguins, sea lions, sea otters, sea turtles, and even other dolphins and some shark species.
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Killer whales often hunt cooperatively in pods for food.

Orcas eat on average 500 pounds of food a day, but they can eat much more than that.

Interesting Fact!
An Orca stranded in Denmark in the 1800s had the remnants of 13 porpoises and 14 seals in its stomach.

Hunting strategies

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There are several methods used by dolphins when foraging. Some of them are exclusive to a single population.

Dolphins use high frequency echolocation to locate and capture prey. They also use multiple feeding strategies, including the "sh whacking," where they strike a sh with their ukes and knock it out of the water.

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passive hearing, vision, and infraspecic behavioral cues, are likely used by dolphins.

A diversity of sensory-aided strategies including

One common feeding technique is herding.

Prey herding is a common tactic used by dolphins, porpoises, whales and pinnipeds and it involves the manipulation of a complete school of sh to increase the chances to catch more shes with less energy.

Corralling

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is a method where dolphins chase sh into shallow water to catch them more easily as their chances to escape are reduced.

Some species also whack sh with their ukes, stunning them and knocking them out of the water.

Information
1. Animal Diversity Web. Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. 2. The Amazon: River in a Rain Forest-By Molly Aloian 3. Sea World Info Books 4. Killer Whales of the World: Natural History and Conservation - By Robin W. Baird 5. Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins - by Jeanette A. Thomas, Cynthia F. Moss, Marianne Vater. 6. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals - by William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig, J. G.M. Thewissen 7. Wikipedia

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