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lphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from 1.2 m (4 ft) and 40 kg (90 lb) (Maui's dolphin), up to 9.5 m (30 ft) and 10 tonnes (9.8longtons;11short tons) (the orca or killer whale). They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. The family Delphinidae is the largest in the Cetacean order, and evolved relatively recently, about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Dolphins are amongthe mostintelligent animals, and their often friendly appearance and seemingly playful attitude have made them popular in human culture.

Hide Etymology

The name is originally from Greek δελφίς (delphís), "dolphin", [1] which was related to the

Greek δελφύς (delphus), "womb". [2] The animal's name can therefore be interpreted as

meaning "a 'fish' with a womb". [3] The name was transmitted via the Latin delphinus [4]

(the romanization of the later Greek δελφνος - delphinos [5] ), which in Middle Latin became dolfinus and in Old French daulphin, which reintroducedthe ph into the word.

The term mereswine (that is, "sea pig") has also historically been used. [6]

The word is used in a few different ways. It can mean:

any member of the family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins), any member of the families Delphinidae and Platanistoidea (oceanic andriver dolphins), any member of the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales; these includethe above families and some others), and is used casually as a synonym for bottlenose dolphin, the mostcommon and familiar species of dolphin.

This article uses the second definition and does not describe porpoises (suborder Odontoceti, family Phocoenidae). Orcas and some closelyrelatedspeciesbelong tothe Delphinidae family and therefore qualify as dolphins, even though they are called whales in common language. A group of dolphins is called a "school" or a "pod". Male dolphins

are called "bulls", females "cows" and young dolphins

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