Dolphin mating habits

We all know that many animals have some of the strangest mating habits and dolphins are not an exception. The male dolphins actually become very competitive and aggressive during mating system. While they are normally friendly towards each other, mating season changes them in this way. This is because the males are competing, hoping to win the female dolphin.. much like other animals and what seems to be even humans at times.

Female dolphins tend to only associate with few if any other female dolphins. So oftentimes if a dolphin is attracted to a female dolphin, him and his buddy will team up together in order to steal the female dolphin away from the group. Once the female moves on to the new group, they won’t go back to their previous group again.

While scientist once believed that dolphins had only 1 mate for life, more evidence has revealed that dolphins actually have several mates throughout their lifetime. This is because dolphins often change up their group, unless they are in a small area of water. For instance, dolphins who are kept captive with just a few other dolphins will typically stay with the same mate the entire time.

Once a dolphin does give birth to its young, it’s interesting to see that the young stay with their mothers for 5-7 years! They nurse off the mother for 18 months, similar to humans. However, the male dolphin is not typically involved with the young, even if they remain in the same group.

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