A mandala-style coloring page of a mother dolphin and her calf leaping over a wave, with every shape filled in fine geometric pattern. Working through the small sections one at a time is slow, absorbing work that many adults find relaxing. Free to download and print as a PDF, no registration needed.
🗣 Conversation Starters — for care activities and family time
Have you ever been to an aquarium or a dolphin show? What do you remember of it?
Would you like to swim with dolphins?
Did you know that dolphins are mammals? What did you think when you first heard that?
Have you ever seen a pod of dolphins out at sea?
Why are dolphins considered so intelligent?
Dolphins have large brains, and in research settings they have learned artificial languages built from gestures and symbols. They keep up complex social lives, communicating with whistles and clicks and using high-frequency clicks to echolocate, and some populations use tools — the dolphins of Shark Bay in Australia carry sponges to protect their snouts while foraging.
Is it true that a dolphin is a mammal, not a fish?
Yes. Dolphins are toothed whales, and like every mammal they breathe air, are warm-blooded and nurse their young — which is why they have to come up to the surface to breathe.
Why do dolphins leap out of the water?
Several reasons are thought to be involved: signalling to the rest of the pod, knocking parasites off the skin on the impact with the surface, and plain play. Dolphins also ride the bow wave of a moving boat — bow-riding — apparently for the free push and the fun of it.
