Bottlenose Dolphin Informative Speech Essay - 890 Words

The Bottlenose Dolphin Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the bottlenose dolphin species. Central Idea: Dolphins are unique creatures that possess numerous abilities such as, their intelligence, communication skills, and behavioral patterns. Introduction I. Imagine yourself surrounded by a pool of water, but not just any pool of water, the biggest one of all: the ocean. You’re in the ocean attempting to swim, but only this time, instead of moving your arms over your head and your legs up and down, your only moving your lower half, up and down. You swim for a period of time and then suddenly realize your oxygen supply is slowly running out. You swim to the surface and breathe, then your right back at it, swimming with no†¦show more content†¦a. Communication occurs within the dolphin itself. i. This includes a range of echolocation clicks in the dolphin sonar system used to identify objects underwater. ii. Studies by the US Navy have proven that a dolphin’s sonar communication is accurate. 1. Dolphins can locate a 3-inch sphere 400 yards away (Wexler, 1994). b. Communication can also occurs between two or more dolphins. i. This was measured using the rate of whistling in dolphins. 1. According the University of St. Andrews’ study, of 29 different dolphins, whistling rates during non-polarized and socializing movements were higher than surface travel (Quick amp; Janik, 2008). ii. Dolphins alert stress levels to other dolphins by altering the pitch of their signature whistle (Wexler, 1994). Transition: After learning about a dolphin’s sense of communication, we can now build upon this information by examining their unique behavior. III. A final ability worth noting is the social inclination of dolphin behavior. a. It has been proven that a lot of their behavior revolves around social activity. i. Randall Wells and his team observed groups of male dolphin behavior in Sarasota Bay, Florida. 1. The dolphins lifted their heads, which allowed them to toss each other out of the water. 2. This proved that these interactions were defining their social relationships (Rohan, 2003). ii. Another study consisting of 52 dolphins proved that social