Cetacea. Although the terms dolphin and porpoise are sometimes used

interchangeably to refer to any member of the group, biologists recognize

three distinct families: the true porpoises, with six marine species; the

river dolphins, with five freshwater species; and the true dolphins, with

more than 30 marine species. The killer whales and pilot whales are closely

related to the true dolphins and are included in the same family.

   Although they are similar in appearance, a dolphin is distinguished from a

porpoise by its long, sharp snout that is flattened like a beak; a porpoise

has a short, blunt snout. The teeth of dolphins are cone-shaped while those

   Dolphins and porpoises, often called simply "small whales," are mammals,

not fishes, and are thus warm-blooded, keeping their body temperature nearly

constant even when they are exposed to different environmental temperatures.

The mothers provide milk for the young and nurse them for a year or more.

Like other whales, dolphins have lungs and breathe through a single nostril

called the blowhole located on top of the head. The blowhole is opened during

as members of a school (also called herd or pod), which may consist of more

Certain species of marine dolphins are the best known biologically because

   The largest dolphins reach a length of about 15 feet (4.6 meters), but

oceanariums and is noted for its curiosity toward humans. Bottle-nosed dolphin

remaining in coastal areas in small schools of two to four. Because porpoises

spots. The colors are brilliant but fade rapidly when the fish is removed

The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is ...

mother nudges it to the surface for its first breath of air.

   The young stay with the mothers for at least one and sometimes as long as

The bottle-nosed dolphin, whose scientific name is Tursiops truncatus, has

generally smaller than true dolphins, with few individuals attaining a length

Some common words found in the essay are:
PORPOISE Dolphins, Zoo Wildlife, America Hector's, Stranding Dall's, Dolphin Fish, Amazon Rivers, America Harbor, Black Sea, Brahmaputra Indus, California Dall's, dolphins porpoises,    dolphins porpoises, porpoises noted, dolphin fish, river dolphins, true dolphins, 6 feet 18, delphinus delphis, pilot whales, social behavior, dolphin delphinus delphis, dolphin delphinus, common dolphin delphinus, feet 18 meters, dall's porpoise phocoenoides,
Approximate Word count = 1408
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)