Thank you for downloading Dolphin Research Pages by Terrific Times in Third.

Your feedback on
this resource would be greatly appreciated. Questions or comments? Please contact me at
terrifictimesinthird@gmail.com. I am happy to make any changes or adjustments based on your
classroom needs!

Classroom Use Ideas:

* Use as a student center. Put the passages in a sheet protector and let students use dry erase markers to
mark them up. Students then complete the graphic organizer and research report pages. They can do this
activity up to 4 different times.
* Use as a guided reading lesson. Read and fill out the information together.
* Send home as a homework project.
* Use as independent seat work or a group project.

Other research resources you may be interested in:

Credits:
 Amazon River Dolphin
Size: Up to 8 feet
Weight: No more than 450 pounds
Life Span: 10 - 30 years
Top Speed: 13 miles per hour
© Terrific Times in Third
Habitat: The Amazon river dolphin lives only in
freshwater in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers.
Diet: They are carnivores who eat shrimp, fish,
crabs, piranhas, and turtles.
Fun Facts:
* Unlike other dolphins, they like to live alone most
of the year.
* When they are surprised, they will become more
pink. Similar to blushing in people!
* The Amazon river dolphin can change its color!
These dolphins are born gray and slowly turn pink
as they get older. The color of the dolphin depends
on their diet, how much sun they get, and placement
of blood vessels.
* They have a long snout to help
them find small fish in branches
or crabs and shrimp in the mud.
 Bottlenose Dolphin
Size: 10 - 14 feet
Weight: 1,100 pounds
Life Span: 45 - 50 years
Top Speed: 20 miles per hour
© Terrific Times in Third
Habitat: Bottlenose dolphins can be found in tropical
and warm waters all around the world.
Diet: A bottlenose dolphin is a carnivore who eats
fish, squid, crabs, and lobsters.
Fun Facts:
* Dolphins travel in groups, called “pods”, of around
10 to 15. In this group they will play, hunt, and even
raise young dolphin calves together.
* They are called bottlenose dolphins because of
their short, stubby beak.
* Although the bottlenose dolphin lives underwater, it
must come to the surface to breathe air though
its blowhole.
* They can launch themselves
15 feet out of the water!

Size: 23 - 32 feet
Weight: 3,000 - 12,000 pounds
Life Span: 50 - 80 years
Top Speed: 28 miles per hour
© Terrific Times in Third
Orca
Habitat: Orcas live around the world in cold ocean
waters near the coast.
Diet: Orcas eat squid, birds, octopuses, sea turtles,
sharks, seals, and fish. They are at the top of the
food chain because no other animals (except for
humans) hunt them.
Fun Facts:
* Orcas are often called killer whales. They may be
enormous like whales, but they are actually the
largest dolphins in the world.
* Instead of chewing their food, they take one big
gulp. Believe it or not, they can swallow small seals
and sea lions whole!
* Orcas use clicks and whistles to communicate with
each other in the ocean.
 Spinner Dolphin
Size: 6 - 7 feet
Weight: 130 - 170 pounds
Life Span: Up to 20 years
Top Speed: 23 miles per hour
© Terrific Times in Third
Habitat: Spinner dolphins live in warm ocean waters
around the world.
Diet: They are carnivores who eat fish, squid, and
shrimp.
Fun Facts:
* Even though they live in the ocean all of the time,
dolphins are mammals, not fish. This is because they
are warm blooded, feed their babies milk, and
breathe air using lungs.
* Dolphins are some of the smartest animals on the
planet. They have names for each other, use tools,
are playful, and can even mimic a human’s
movement.
* Spinner dolphins are the acrobats
of the ocean. They love to jump,
flip, and twist above the surface
of the water.
Dolphin:_________________________
Researcher:_____________________

Fast Facts
Size:________________________________________
Weight:______________________________________
Life Span:____________________________________

Top Speed:____________________________________

Diet:________________________________________

___________________________________________

Fun Facts
Habitat

© Terrific Times in Third

 My Dolphin
Research Report
By:_____________

© Terrific Times in Third

 My Dolphin
Research Report
By:_____________

© Terrific Times in Third

© Terrific Times in Third