No, dolphins are mammals, not fish.
Dolphins, despite living in the ocean, share key characteristics with other mammals that distinguish them from fish. Here's a breakdown:
- Breathing: Dolphins breathe air with lungs, requiring them to surface regularly. Fish, on the other hand, breathe underwater using gills.
- Warm-blooded: Dolphins are warm-blooded, maintaining a constant internal body temperature.
- Live Birth: Dolphins give birth to live young, whereas most fish lay eggs.
- Nursing: Dolphin calves are nursed with milk from their mothers.
- Evolutionary History: Dolphins evolved from land-dwelling mammals.
Therefore, dolphins are classified as marine mammals, belonging to the same class as whales and porpoises, and are distinctly different from fish.
