Page 159 - Caribbean Reef Life Demo

ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN (Steno bredanensis) < 2.6 m / 8.5 ft Narrow head with a sloping forehead and a long beak. hite atch a o e the e es continues onto the ac .
Dolphins are very social animals, normally traveling in pods of about a dozen individuals, but some pods can reach into the hundreds. These are usually led by the older females. Dolphins hunt cooperatively, communicating with high-pitched whistles. They have a layer of blubber under their skin, allowing them to keep a body temperature about the same as that of humans. Most dolphins can dive very deep for their food and hold their breath for up to fteen minutes. Dolphins sleep for about eight hours a day but they still need to surface to breathe, so they slow down and let rst one half of their brains sleep and then the other.
The Antillean Manatee Trichechus manatus is found throughout the Caribbean, from the Bahamas to enezuela, though sightings on coral reefs are rare. They prefer coastal habitats where fresh water and seagrass are more available. They do not have the thick layer of body fat that other mammals have, so rarely venture from the warm shallows. Currently on the Endangered Species List, their habitats are being encroached upon and they can easily get caught up in shing nets or be hit by increased boat traf c.
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