Dolphin and Tuna Diorama
Part of Hall of Ocean Life.
Part of Hall of Ocean Life.
Did you know that dolphins—along with porpoises—are whales? In fact, the killer whale is the largest dolphin! Like other mammals, dolphins give birth to live young and breathe air, surfacing regularly to breathe through the blowhole on the top of their heads.
As this scene in the eastern tropical Pacific shows, dolphins and commercially lucrative tuna tend to feed in the same area on the same prey, putting dolphins at risk of indiscriminate fishing. Despite efforts in the U.S. and internationally to prevent it, potential species loss and disruption of marine populations is an ongoing concern.