Saving dolphins from space

Saving dolphins from space Today’s Video of the Day comes from NASA Goddard and features a look at how scientists are using data from space to help save dolphins.

Certain coastal areas pose a high risk of stranding dolphins, whales, and porpoises. When these beachings occur, rescue efforts have to be fast and well-organized in order to help save the animals.

Scientists are now using satellite data to help predict these hot spot strandings, instead of just reacting to them

Dolphins are predominantly found in tropical and temperate bodies of water that include the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Mediterranean, Black and Red seas. They range from as far north as Nova Scotia, Norway and northern Japan to as far south as Chile, the southern tip of Africa and Australia.

Dolphins are known to be extremely intelligent and trained dolphins are able to imitate human behavior during play. The average life expectancy of a dolphin is 30 years, however their lifespan can vary from 20 – 50 years depending on the species and their situation. 

–How deep can dolphins dive? The deepest recorded dive made by a Bottlenose Dolphin was 990 feet deep. However, there is little information on how deep other species of dolphins can dive. That being said, dolphins don’t tend to dive very deep and stick to more shallow waters and may regularly dive down to depths of only 15-30 feet .

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Video Credit: NASA Goddard