Монологи на английском языке с текстом и переводом. №50. Тема: Дельфины и морские свиньи. Отличие и сходство.

   
Many people think that dolphins and porpoises are exactly the same. Although they are similar in many ways, a dolphin is not a porpoise, and vice versa. There are both similarities and differences between the two. Let's learn about some of these similarities and differences. First, they are both mammals belonging to the scientific order Cetacea. This order includes all whales, to which both dolphins and porpoises are related.
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Second, both belong to the same scientific suborder, Odontoceti. This suborder is made up of toothed whales. However, they do not belong to the same scientific family. Porpoises belong to the family Phocoenidae... that's spelled P-h-o-c-o-e-n-i-d-a-e... and dolphins belong to the family Delphinidae... that's D-e-l-p-h-i-n-i-d-a-e. OK, now, if we examine porpoises and dolphins at this level, they are as physically different as dogs and cats.
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Let's compare their physical characteristics. Porpoises are much shorter than dolphins, but appear to be heavier. The porpoise's dorsal fin (that's the fin on the back) is triangular. The dolphin's dorsal fin is shaped like a wave. The dolphin has a very noticeable beak. The porpoise does not. Because they belong to the same scientific order and suborder, they share many of the same characteristics.
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For example, they are both completely aquatic mammals (they live in the water), they have a blowhole for breathing, and a tail fluke. However, as mentioned before, they have many physical differences including size and different shaped dorsal fins and beaks. Oh, and there was one more difference I forgot to mention. The dolphin is thin and sleek compared to the chubby porpoise. Remember, although they appear very similar to us, at the family level, we can compare their relationship, as we did earlier, to the one between cats and dogs.
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So, physically speaking, dolphins and porpoises are different. But there are also behavioral differences between the two. Porpoises are shy, while dolphins are not. Usually, porpoises only come up out of the water to breathe. Dolphins are social. They will often follow fishing boats. You are more likely to see a dolphin, both in the wild and in captivity, than a porpoise.
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Let's review what we have discussed today. If you happened to see a sleek mammal with a blowhole, a wave-like dorsal fin, and a beak playing in the water near a boat, what would it be? A dolphin. And if while scuba diving, you ran across a chubby mammal with a blowhole and triangular dorsal fin that swam away when you came near, what would it be? A porpoise
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