What do Dolphins Eat?
Answering the question, What do dolphins eat? is not difficult. In fact it's relatively simple: fish! Before you start thinking that flipper is a cannibal, though, remember that dolphins are not fish. They are mammals, and they are carnivores.
What do dolphins eat in their natural environment? There are almost 40 different species of dolphins, and they are found in oceans all over the world. Dolphins usually live in a relatively shallow saltwater environment, but some species, especially river dolphins, are found in brackish waters and riverbeds along coastlines.
In the wild, dolphins eat small fish, mostly mackerel, herring and cod. They also eat squid and some bottom-dwelling crustaceans like shrimp or crabs. Dolphins are highly social animals, and they are often seen gathering food in groups, called pods. In this way, a pod of perhaps 10-15 dolphins will surround and herd a school of fish and then take turns swimming through the fish in order to eat.
Dolphins have also been known to use their tail when catching fish for dinner. This is done by whacking the fish with their tail, thereby stunning the fish so it cannot swim away before being eaten.
Large dolphin species, like the killer whale, will also eat other marine mammals like seals or sea lions. And in case you think that was an error, a killer whale is in fact a dolphin. There a several marine mammals we think of as whales that are actually members of the dolphin family.
What do dolphins eat in captivity? In the wild, dolphin dinner is made up of live fish, but captive dolphins are fed dead fish and this is a controversial issue for dolphin activists. Dolphins living out in the ocean spend a great deal of time hunting and foraging for food. As social animals, searching and catching live food is a large part of a dolphin's natural behavior.
Dolphins living in a captive environment do not perform any type of hunting and the food they eat is not live as it would be if they were living in their natural home. While there is not a great deal of information available regarding how this may affect dolphins kept in zoos or marine theme parks, dolphin conservation groups cite this as a point of concern for the well-being of dolphins being held in captivity.
There are guidelines and restrictions for dolphins living in animal parks in the United States, so captive dolphins here probably don't have many problems. Those same rules do not necessarily apply to parks outside of the U.S., so it is important that conservation groups continually work toward protecting animals that are being mistreated.
The best way to counteract any form of animal abuse is by spreading good information and passing laws that protect any endangered or threatened animal. It is only through education and concern for the welfare of dolphins that they can be assured protection from any type of harm.