Where Do Dolphins Live?

Most Dolphins live in the shallow water along ocean beaches but there are many species of Dolphin and each has evolved to fit in its own habitat. Some species of Dolphin live in warm water and some in cold water. There are even four species of Dolphin that live in fresh water and are generally referred to as river Dolphins! And, of course, some Dolphins even live at Sea World or at your local aquarium!

Dolphins can live to be as old as 50 years! This varies dramatically by location and species with the shortest life expectancy at about 10 years and the average about 25 years.

Dolphins actually evolved from land animals approximately 50 million years ago! It's believed that their closest relative that still lives on land today is the hippopotamus! Because they evolved from land animals, Dolphins are not fish. They are mammals who bare their young alive rather than lay eggs. They also have lungs instead of gills. A Dolphin's lungs have many more air sacs per volume than ours though so even though their not larger than ours, they hold much more oxygen. Their lungs also have twice as many capillaries as ours so they're more efficient at utilizing the Oxygen from the air sacs. A Dolphin can hold its breath as long as 10 minutes or even a bit longer but they normally come up for a breath at least every minute or two.

There's no doubt that Dolphins are really cute! It's perfectly normal to want to interact with them but beware! In the United States it's illegal to pursue wild dolphins. If they approach you it's legal but remember that they are wild animals, not Flipper! Their tail can easily break human ribs or give you a concussion even if the Dolphin is just being friendly. Feeding wild Dolphins is also illegal in the United States.

Not only do most Dolphins live in very shallow water, they don't even ever dive deep. The deepest dive we know about was 300 meters (990 feet) but that was by a U.S. Navy trained Dolphin. It's likely that the typical wild Dolphin never dives much further than 2 or 3 meters (7 to 10 feet). That's, after all, where most of their food is located and the water is warmer in the shallows. They don't have to worry about getting "the bends" like human divers do either. That occurs from breathing compressed air and the Dolphins are simply holding their breath.

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