why do dolphins form pods?

A group of dolphins is called a pod.

A dolphin pod consists a group of dolphins that have bonded together either because of biological reasons (ie: a mother baring offspring and raising her child) or through friendships developed between two or more dolphins.

Most pods can contain anywhere from 2 – 30 dolphins depending on the species and the situation, however there are occasions where several hundred dolphins may gather together for an activity or event.

During times of mating or when hunting in abundant feeding grounds hundreds or even thousands of dolphins may be seen together mating and/or hunting for food.

Once the dolphins finish participating in an activity they return to back to their smaller pods.

Most small pods or pairs usually consist of a mother and her child or two male dolphins that have bonded together.

Other small  pods may consists of several female dolphins that have bonded together in order to better protect their young

In larger pods as many as four generations of family members can be seen travel together.

How pods form and how many dolphins coordinate in a pod is also largely dependent on the species and their social structure.

Dolphins are social mammals that love to interact with one another, swimming together and hunt for food as a team, however pods also play a very important role in protecting dolphins, especially smaller species of dolphin that are at a greater risk of being attacked.

Some dolphins will form large pods in order to better protect themselves from predators such as sharks and whales..

By forming large pods they can either deter predators or better defend themselves by fighting together.

Aside from forming pods or groups some dolphin species may also migrate to or maintain a fixed location in and around coastal waters or rivers where there are less potential threats from predators.

Common reasons dolphins form a pod

• Social interaction (Dolphins are extremely social and family oriented)
• To hunt and capture pray together (Dolphins often work as a team to capture large pools of fish)
• Mating (While dolphins prefer to mate during the warmer summer months they can be found mating throughout the year)
• Protection (Larger pods allow dolphins to deter predators and create a better defense when attacked)