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Delphinidae (Dolphins, Killer Whales, Pilot Whales, And Relatives) is a family of mammals. They rely on lift powered swimming to move around.

  • URI: https://eol.org/schema/terms/lift_based_swimming
  • Definition: Hydrofoils, or fins, are used to push against the water to create a normal force to provide thrust, propelling the animal through water. The reduction of fin cross-sectional area helps to minimize drag, and therefore increase efficiency. Regardless of size of the animal, at any particular speed, maximum possible lift is proportional to (wing area) x (speed)<sup>2</sup>. Dolphins and whales have large, horizontal caudal hydrofoils, while many fish and sharks have vertical caudal hydrofoils.
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EOL has data for 33 attributes, including:

Known occurrences, collected specimens and observations of dolphins, killer whales, pilot whales, and relatives. View this species on GBIF
JC Schou   cc-by-nc

Dolphins, Killer Whales, Pilot Whales, And Relative Habitats

The environments in which many dolphins, killer whales, pilot whales, and relatives species are known to live. Select an environment to see its dolphins, killer whales, pilot whales, and relatives species checklist.