Common myths about dolphins that are actually wrong

Dolphins are pictured as good and friendly animals in movies, serials, and even cartoons. So, many common myths are floating around the internet. Are they all true? Of course, not like many other things. First, we will see a simple introduction to dolphins and go through some of these myths and why they aren't true. So, I hope you are going to enjoy this article.

Dolphins:

Dolphins are aquatic mammals, meaning that they dwell in water. They belong to the infraorder of Cetacea. Cetacea belongs to the order Artiodactyla, which consists of whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

42 dolphin species and seven porpoise species are grouped into six families. The largest family by far is the Oceanic Dolphin Family, which has 38 members. The porpoise family contains seven members, and river dolphins have four members, each containing one species.

Learn more about their classification here

and their reality:

How many species of dolphins are there?

Dolphins smiling face:

It may look like a dolphin is smiling, but they may not be. Their upturned mouth looks smile-like, but it's just their natural lip shape and jaw structure.

Dolphins can show emotions, but they do so through body language, vocalization, and changes in facial expression like eye movement.

In the book "Are Dolphins Really Smart? The Mammal Behind the Myth" Justin Greg tells us a story when he was researching dolphins. He was with some tourists when their group encountered an aggressive dolphin who was snapping his jaws and charging other males. A lady described it as "friendly and playful dolphins." Gregg told her the dolphin was not playful. Read this story here.

The truth behind the dolphin's smile.

Naturally friendly towards humans:

You may get this idea by watching dolphin entertainment shows. The reality is those dolphins are taught to perform and as I already have mentioned their smiling face is not showing their emotional state. 

People may believe that they love interacting with humans. I ask on what basis you are claiming this because as humans have curiosity dolphins also have it. So, if you are in the sea maybe dolphins will come to see what you are doing. But according to Lello Mascetti, they will quickly disappear once they realize you are not fishing. 

In one of his answer to the question Are dolphins naturally friendly toward humans? If so, why?  He said that he discovered that he could keep them interested if he generated rhythmic voices. He also said that dolphins aren't naturally friendly to humans. 

In dolphin shows where we see them performing to please human crowd, they may be feeling cruelty and suffering from captivity. Read the World Animal Protection petition to end dolphin cruelty in the entertainment industry.

Dolphins mean no sharks.

Certain dolphin species and shark species indeed prefer different habitats. Some dolphins might also avoid areas with high populations of sharks because of predation risk. This does not mean, in any way, that wherever you find dolphins in the sea, you will not find sharks there.

Dolphins are found covered in bite marks from sharks. 

Read Dolphins and Sharks friends or foes

Only dolphins have sex for pleasure.

It is undeniably the truth that dolphins engage in sexual activity outside of reproduction. It is not accurate to say that they do it solely for pleasure, because we don't know, and they are far from being the only animals to do so.

Bonobos, elephants, dogs, and other mammals such as chimpanzees, otters, and horses have been observed performing sexual activities other than reproduction.

Dolphins have the best hearing.

Saying dolphins have the best hearing among all animals depends on how you define the term "best.". First, let us discuss dolphins' capability of hearing.

1. Some dolphin species can detect up to 150 kHz frequencies in comparison to humans, who can only hear frequencies of up to 20 kHz.
2. Within their range, they are very sensitive to even the faintest sounds. They can detect shrimp hidden on the ocean floor using echolocation. In these cases, their clicks bounce off the prey and reach their ears milliseconds later.
3. Dolphins can also pinpoint the direction of sounds with accuracy. It is because of their specialized ear anatomy and jaw style.

Dolphins are incredible indeed, but if you observe other animals, you will see other animals excelling at different things. Different animals have different auditory strengths than others.

If we talk about absolute high-frequency detection, some Bat species can detect frequencies up to 200 kHz, which is higher than many well-equipped dolphins. They specialize in echolocation for hunting their prey (insects) in the dark.

Owls excel at low-frequency hearing. They can hear down into the infrasound range, which means they can pick up on subsonic vibrations. Owls can also pinpoint the direction of sound with accuracy thanks to their ears. If you look closely, you will notice that owls' ears aren't symmetrical. One ear of the owl sits higher than the other, and the feathery ear flaps (known as pinnae) are also mismatched. Having ears at different heights and angles helps them locate sound directions accurately.

Elephants lack in high-frequency range, although they have exceptional infrasound hearing. They can perceive very low-frequency vibrations, and it also helps them communicate over long distances.

So, simply saying that dolphins have the best hearing is not right.

Glossary:

Infraorder: Infraorder is a taxonomic rank used in biological classification that lies between order and superfamily. It is used to group related families that share a common ancestor, but not to the extent of being in the same superfamily. The infraorder is a useful classification for understanding the evolutionary relationships between different groups of organisms. It is commonly used in the classification of mammals, birds, insects, and other organisms.

Cetacea: Cetacea is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. They are known for being highly adapted to life in water, with streamlined bodies, paddle-shaped flippers, and a blowhole on top of their head for breathing. They are also known for their complex social behaviors and vocal communication, such as whale songs and dolphin clicks. The name "cetacea" comes from the Latin word "cetus," meaning whale or sea monster.

Artiodactyla: Artiodactyla is an order of even-toed ungulate mammals, which includes pigs, hippos, camels, deer, giraffes, and many other species. These animals have an even number of toes on each foot and are known for their ability to graze on vegetation and digest it through a four-chambered stomach. Artiodactyls can be found in a variety of habitats around the world, from forests and grasslands to deserts and mountains.