A DOLPHIN AND NOT A FISH!
Many people confuse dolphins with big fish. Irrawaddy dolphins are not fish and need to breathe air just like humans and other land animals. There are a number of differences between dolphins and fish ...
| Dolphins | Fish |
| Have hair – e.g. whiskers on their face | Do not have hair – only scales covering their body |
| Warm-blooded | Cold-blooded |
| Dolphins give birth to live young (usually born tail first) that suckle their mother’s milk | Fish lay eggs or give birth to live young that usually eat smaller plants and animals |
| The baby dolphin cannot live without its mother for at least a year | The baby fish are independent and do not need to be looked after |
| Females produce milk – the baby feeds on milk, just like a human baby | Fish do not take care of their young |
| Have lungs. Must come to the surface to breathe air through their blowhole | Do not breathe air. Take oxygen from the water through gills |
| Tail is horizontal and moves up and down | Tail is vertical and moves side to side |
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