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Delfina is a bottlenose dolphin.
She lives in the ocean with many of her friends.
Delfina often wonders what it would be like to be other animals.
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If a dolphin were a fish, Delfina could spend all of her time underwater.
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But a dolphin is not a fish. A fish uses gills to breathe underwater. Delfina comes to the water's surface to breathe air through a blowhole on top of her head. Instead of gills, a dolphin breathes air with a pair of lungs.
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If a dolphin were a sea turtle, Delfina
would lay eggs on the beach.
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But a dolphin is not a sea turtle. A dolphin does not lay eggs. Instead, a dolphin gives birth to her calf underwater. A dolphin mother usually has one calf at a time; a sea turtle mother can lay more than 100 eggs each time she nests!
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If a dolphin were a shark, Delfina could smell her food from far away.
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But a dolphin is not a shark. In fact, Delfina cannot smell a thing. Instead, she finds her food with her excellent eyesight and a special kind of hearing called echolocation.
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If a dolphin were a manatee, Delfina
would only eat plants.
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But a dolphin is not a manatee. A manatee eats plants. A dolphin eats other animals, like fish and squid.
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If a dolphin were a bird, Delfina would have feathers on her body to keep her warm.
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But a dolphin is not a bird. Delfina has a thick layer of fat, called blubber, under her skin to keep her warm in cold water.
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If a dolphin were an octopus, Delfina would not have any bones in her body.
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But a dolphin is not an octopus. A dolphin has a skeleton in its body made up of hard bones. Delfina has a backbone, skull and rib bones just like you. A dolphin even has five fingers, or digits, in its front flipper that are similar to the bones in your hand!
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No, Delfina is not a fish, sea turtle, shark, manatee, bird, or octopus.
She is a bottlenose dolphin, and we love her just the way she is.
