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Grind species belongs to the dolphin family. There is another name for this species - it is the balloon-headed dolphins. But in their way of life and behavioral peculiarities, grinds are more like whales rather than dolphins.
These amazing animals live in the waters of the Atlantic, Southern Ocean. You can meet grind near the coast of such countries as Canada, Norway, Great Britain. They are found south of Greenland. Sometimes it can also swim in the Mediterranean, but they do not stay there for a long time, because they feel uncomfortable there. As a rule, dolphins swim there just to get acquainted with the terrain. Having visited Libya and Tunisia a little, they return to the Atlantic, which for them is a familiar environment.
Sometimes they can be seen near the South Sandwich Islands, as well as the South Orkney Islands. The water here is pretty cool. To the south they, as a rule, do not swim. They like to swim near Australia or Africa, as well as near South America along its Pacific coast.
Representatives of this species are very curious, like to swim a lot. They are always in motion, migrating from one locality to another.
Appearance
These animals are very strong and hardy, which allows them to travel constantly. The weight of an adult male of this species is approximately 3500 kg. Females weigh much less. On average - up to 1800 kg. The body length of an adult male can reach 6 m. Females are about 1-1.2 m shorter. These are indicators that are characteristic of an adult animal. The growth of representatives of this species can last up to 20 years.
Animals can have different colors. It ranges from gray to black. In the throat and on the stomach they have light spots. A little lower in relation to the dorsal fin, many of them have a large gray spot of a light shade. It can also be located near the eyes.
The dorsal fin is a crescent in shape. Their lateral fins are very long. Sometimes their length is one fifth of the entire length of the dolphin's body.
The head has a spherical shape, but many eyewitnesses say that it looks more like a melon. It narrows toward the muzzle, and wider at the base. These mammals are distinguished by a body with perfect streamlining.
All of them are wonderful swimmers, and can reach speeds of about 40 km / h.
Nutrition, Behavior
They live in packs, each of which has about 50 animals. Each pack has a chapter. As a rule, this is an adult female. They feed mainly on cephalopods. They can eat fish, but much less often and less.
Diving under water to a depth of 35-55 m, they are looking for food for themselves. But these dolphins can sink even deeper - up to about 600 m. Like other dolphin representatives, they are able to stay under water for about 15 minutes.
Propagation Features
The female can live 60 years in her natural environment. But males, as a rule, live less. Maximum - 45 years. Even at the age of fifty, a female can bear offspring.
Grind pregnancy lasts 15 months. Only 1 cub is born at a time. At birth, he weighs more than 100 kg, and the body length at this moment is 180 cm. For about 2 years, the female feeds her with her milk.
Security, strength
Today, the number of this species worldwide reaches about a million individuals. Therefore, scientists have no concerns about the danger to the population. Almost no one hunts them.
But in the northern Atlantic near the Faroe Islands, which are located off the coast of Iceland, as well as Scotland, they have been hunted and hunted now. This place belongs to Denmark. Among the population there are a lot of descendants of warriors - the Vikings. They have always been formidable and ruthless invaders. Previously, these people fed exclusively on dolphins.
It's easy to catch a grind. When one animal gets on the net, it starts screaming loudly to get ready to come to his aid. Grinds are used to come to the aid of each other in case of danger, so a lot of dolphins swim to the scream. And near the shore they were waiting for the Vikings. Right on the coast, they brutally killed dolphins with their weapons. These were swords, stones, spears. They also ate them right on the beach.
Other people who come ashore do not take part in this brutal action. But they calmly look at it from the shore. There are children, women, and even older people. It is considered the norm that children from an early age see this action, and it is perceived by them as an ordinary tradition of their people. For some reason, this terrible tradition has not yet been eradicated. She simply terrifies residents of other countries.
Grinds are known to be very intelligent animals. If we compare their mind with the human, then they will only slightly yield to us in this. It is hard to imagine that this terrible, almost primitive tradition has been preserved in our time. After all, this is a massacre of animals, not even for food, but for simple fun. One can only hope that it will be eradicated soon.
Video: grinds - sea hunters
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