The ancestors of dolphins are land mammals and dolphins are related to land mammals living today including, most closely, the hippopotamus.
As scientists gather more dolphin facts, it should become more apparent that these are some of the most behaviorally developed animals and may deserve special rights of protection from humans.
There are over 30 species of dolphins, and they are all carnivores that eat fish, squid, and, in the case of the Orca, seals and other marine mammals.
The smallest dolphin in the world is the Maui’s dolphin, which is only 4 ft. long.
This was so long ago, that other animals that descended from the same land mammals as dolphins include giraffes and hippopotamuses.
The orca, or killer whale, is scientifically considered a dolphin. Orcas live all over the world, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.