document_title: Football records in England

question_text: most goals in all competitions in premier league

text: Football records in England

text: National team[edit]

text: League[edit]

text: Records in this section refer to the English Football Pyramid

text: Titles[edit]

text:
Most League titles: 20, Manchester United
Most consecutive League titles: 3, joint record:[1]

Huddersfield Town: 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26
Arsenal: 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35
Liverpool: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84
Manchester United (twice): 1998–99, 1999–00, 2000–01; 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09

Top-flight title win at first attempt: Ipswich Town: 1961–62

text: Top-flight appearances[edit]

text:
Most seasons in top flight overall: 114 seasons, Everton
Most consecutive seasons in top flight: 90 seasons, Arsenal (1919–present, though no League football was played due to World War II between 1939 and 1945–46)[2]
Fewest seasons in top flight overall: 1 season, joint record, Glossop, Leyton Orient, Northampton Town, Carlisle United, Swindon Town, and Barnsley have completed only one season in top flight in their history.

text: Representation[edit]

text:
Most participants in top flight from one area: During the three consecutive seasons 1919–21, the historic boundaries (pre-1974) of the County of Lancashire had nine participants in the top-flight: Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Oldham Athletic,and Preston North End.[3]

During the Premiership era, there were eight participants in the historic county of Lancashire during the 2010–11 season: Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Wigan Athletic.[3]

Most participants in top flight from one city: During the season 1989–1990, London had eight entrants in the top-flight: Arsenal, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Millwall, Queen's Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, and Wimbledon.
City represented with most seasons in top flight: Liverpool. The city has always had a top flight member of either Everton or Liverpool.

text: Wins[edit]

text:
Most wins in the top-flight overall: 1863, Liverpool[4]
Most wins at home overall: 1341, Manchester United[5]
Most wins at home in top-flight overall: 1203, Liverpool[4]
Most wins away overall: 755, Manchester United[5]
Most wins away in top-flight overall: 667, Arsenal[4]
Most wins from start of a top flight season: 11, Tottenham Hotspur (First Division, 1960-61)[6]
Most wins from start of a season: 13, Reading F.C. (Third Division, 1985-86)[7]
Most consecutive league wins: 18, Manchester City[8] (Premier League, 28 August 2017 - 27 December 2017)
Most consecutive wins (all competitions): 20, Manchester City[9] (26 August 2017 - 3 December 2017)

text: Draws[edit]

text:
Most draws overall in the top flight: 1106, Everton[4]
Most draws in a season: 23, joint record:[10]

Norwich City (from 42 games, First Division, 1978–79)
Exeter City (from 46 games, Fourth Division, 1986–87)
Hartlepool United (from 46 games, Third Division, 1997–98)
Cardiff City (from 46 games, Third Division, 1997–98)

Most consecutive draws: 8:[10]

Torquay United (Third Division, 1969–70)
Middlesbrough (Second Division, 1970–71)
Peterborough United (Fourth Division, 1971–72)
Birmingham City (Third Division, 1990–91)
Chesterfield (League One, 2005–06)
Southampton (Championship, 2005–06)
Swansea City (Championship, 2008–09)

text: Losses[edit]

text:
Most losses overall in the top flight: 1,506, Everton[4]
Most losses in a season: 34, Doncaster Rovers, (Third Division, 1997–98; final record P46 W4 D8 L34)
Fewest losses: 0, joint record:[11][12]

Preston North End (First Division, 1888–89; final record P22 W18 D4 L0)
Arsenal (Premier League, 2003–04; final record P38 W26 D12 L0)
Liverpool (Second Division, 1893-94; final record P28 W22 D6 L0)

Most consecutive losses:[13]

18, Darwen, 1898–1899 (Second Division)
17, Rochdale, 1931–32 (Division 3 North)
17, Sunderland, 2002-2003 (15 in top tier)

text: Points[edit]

text:
Most points overall in the top flight (mixed 3pts for a win and 2pts for win): 5,437, Liverpool[14][15]
Most points in a season (2 points for a win - 46 matches): 74, Lincoln City (Fourth Division, 1975–76)
Most points in a season (3 points for a win - 46 matches): 106, Reading (Championship, 2005–06)
Most points in a season for a top-flight team (2 points for a win - 42 matches): 68 (30 wins 8 draws), Liverpool (First Division, 1978–79)
Most points in a season for a top-flight team (3 points for a win - 38 matches): 100 points (32 wins 4 draws, 2 defeats), Manchester City (Premier League, 2017–18)
Fewest points in a season (2 points for a win - 34 matches): 8, joint record:

Loughborough (Second Division, 1899–1900)
Doncaster Rovers (Second Division, 1904–05)

Fewest points in a season (3 points for a win - 38 matches): 11, Derby County (Premier League, 2007–08)
Most points in a season while being relegated (2 points for a win - 46 matches): 41, Rotherham United (Third Division, 1972–73)
Most points in a season while being relegated (3 points for a win - 46 matches): 54, joint record:

Southend United (Third Division, 21st of 24; 1988–89)
Peterborough United (Championship, 22nd of 24; 2012-13)

text: Games without a win[edit]

text:
Most consecutive league games without a win: 32, Derby County (Premier League/Championship 22 September 2007 to 13 September 2008)
Longest run without a home win: Sunderland (Premier League/Championship 17 December 2016 to 16 December 2017).

text: Goals[edit]

text:
Most league goals scored in a season: (134) Peterborough United (Fourth Division, 1960–61)[16]
Most top-flight goals scored in a season (42 games): 128, Aston Villa (First Division, 1930–31)[17]
Most top-flight goals scored in a season (38 games): 106, Manchester City (Premier League, 2017–18)
Most goals scored in all competitions in a season by a top-flight side: 156, Manchester City (2013–14)[18]
Most top-flight goals scored in total: 6929, Everton.[19] - to end 2016/17 season
Most home league goals scored in a season: 87, Millwall (Third Division South, 1927–28)[16]
Most away league goals scored in a season: 60, Arsenal (First Division, 1930–31)[16]
Most consecutive games scoring: 55, Arsenal (Premier League, 19 May 2001 – 30 November 2002)[20]
Most consecutive games without scoring: 11, Coventry City (Second Division, 1919–20) and Hartlepool United (League Two, 1992–93)[16]
First league goal awarded by goal-line technology: scored by Edin Džeko in the 14th minute of the Premier League game between Manchester City and Cardiff City on 18 January 2014. The game was officiated by Neil Swarbrick, who consulted his watch when Cardiff defender Kevin McNaughton quickly cleared the ball away just after it entered the goal.[21]

text: Scorelines[edit]

text:
Record win: 13–0, joint record:

Stockport County 13–0 Halifax Town (Third Division North, 6 January 1934)[22]
Newcastle United 13–0 Newport County (Second Division, 5 October 1946)

Record win in top division: 12–0, joint record:

West Bromwich Albion 12–0 Darwen (First Division, 4 April 1892)[23]
Nottingham Forest 12–0 Leicester Fosse (First Division, 21 March 1909)[23]

Record away win: Port Vale 0–10 Sheffield United (Second Division, 10 December 1892)
Record away win in top flight: by 8 goals, joint record

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–8 West Bromwich Albion (First Division, 27 December 1893)[23]
Newcastle United 1–9 Sunderland (First Division, 5 December 1908)[23]
Cardiff City 1–9 Wolverhampton Wanderers (First Division, 3 November 1955)[23]

Highest scoring draw: 6–6, joint record:

Leicester City 6–6 Arsenal (First Division, 21 April 1930)[24]
Charlton Athletic 6–6 Middlesbrough (Second Division, 22 October 1960)[25]

Most double figure league wins by a team: 5, Birmingham City (12–0 v Walsall, 17 December 1892; 10–2 v Manchester City, 17 March 1894; 10–1 v Blackpool, 2 March 1901; 12–0 v Doncaster Rovers, 11 April 1903; 11–1 v Glossop, 6 January 1915) (all Second Division)
Most goals scored by a losing side: 6 by Huddersfield Town losing 7–6 to Charlton Athletic (21 December 1957)

text: Disciplinary[edit]

text:
Most red cards in a single match:

5 joint:
Bradford City (3) v. Crawley Town (2) (27 March 2012) (all after the final whistle)
Chesterfield (2) v. Plymouth Argyle (3) (22 February 1997)
Wigan Athletic (1) v. Bristol Rovers (4) (2 December 1997)
Exeter City (3) v. Cambridge United (2) (23 November 2002)

Most red cards in a career (individual): 13, joint record:

Roy McDonough (Colchester United, Exeter City, Southend United),[26][27]
Steve Walsh (Wigan Athletic and Leicester City)[26][27]

Fastest red card: 13 seconds, Kevin Pressman (Sheffield Wednesday v Wolverhampton Wanderers, 13 August 2000)[28]
Fastest yellow card: 3 seconds, Vinnie Jones (Chelsea v Sheffield United, 21 March 1992)[29]
Fastest red card for a substitute on the field of play: 0 seconds, joint record:

Walter Boyd (Swansea City, 12 March 2000),
Keith Gillespie (Sheffield United, 20 January 2007)

text: Both players came on as a substitute and elbowed/pushed an opponent before the game had been restarted.

text: Transfers[edit]

text:
Highest transfer fee received: £142 million:

Philippe Coutinho, from Liverpool to FC Barcelona (7 January 2018)

Highest transfer fee paid: £89 million:

Paul Pogba, from Juventus to Manchester United (8 August 2016)

text: Individual[edit]

text: Appearances[edit]

text:
Most titles won by an individual player: 13, Ryan Giggs
Most career league appearances: 1,005 (849 in First Division), Peter Shilton (1966 to 1997)[30]
Most career league appearances by an outfield player: 931, Tony Ford (1975 to 2002)
Most career league appearances at one club: 770, John Trollope (Swindon Town, 1960 to 1980)
Most career top-flight league appearances at one club: 672, Ryan Giggs (Manchester United, 1991 to 6 May 2014)
Most career consecutive league appearances: 375, Harold Bell (Tranmere Rovers), 1946 to 1955 (401 consecutive club games including 26 FA Cup appearances)
Oldest player: Neil McBain, 51 years and 20 days (for New Brighton v. Hartlepool United, 1947)
Youngest player: Reuben Noble-Lazarus, 15 years and 45 days (for Barnsley v. Ipswich Town, 30 September 2008)[31]

text: Goals[edit]

text:
Most career league goals: 434, Arthur Rowley (619 matches, for West Bromwich Albion, Fulham, Leicester City and Shrewsbury Town, 1946 to 1965)
Most career top-flight goals: 357, Jimmy Greaves (516 matches, for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, 1957 to 1971)
Most consecutive top flight league matches scored in: 12, Jimmy Dunne, for Sheffield United between 24 October 1931 and 1 January 1932, for a total of 18 goals.
Most goals in a season: 60, Dixie Dean (39 matches, for Everton 1927–28)
Most goals in a game: 10, Joe Payne (for Luton Town v. Bristol Rovers, 13 April 1936)
Most goals in a top-flight game: 7, Ted Drake for Arsenal v. Aston Villa (away), 14 December 1935[32]
Fastest goal: 3.5 seconds, Colin Cowperthwaite (for Barrow v. Kettering Town, 1979)[33]
Fastest goal on a League debut: 7 seconds, Freddy Eastwood (for Southend United v. Swansea City, 16 October 2004)
Fastest hat-trick (time between first and third goals): 2 minutes 21 seconds, James Hayter (for AFC Bournemouth v. Wrexham, 23 February 2004)
Fastest goal by a substitute: 6 seconds, Nicklas Bendtner (for Arsenal v. Tottenham Hotspur, 22 December 2007)[34]
Most teams outscored by a single player in the history of England's top-flight in a single season: 3 teams by Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, 2017-18) ( West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City and Huddersfield Town)
Fastest player to 100 English top flight goals Dave Halliday - 101 games[35]
Players to score over 30 league goals in four consecutive seasons Dave Halliday - 1925-29.[35] Halliday in fact scored at least 35 goals in each of those four seasons[35]
Most own goals in one season: 5, SP Bloke (Middlesbrough, 1934–35)
Most hat-tricks in one season: 9, George Camsell (Middlesbrough, 1926–27)
Most career hat-tricks: 37, Dixie Dean (Tranmere Rovers, Everton, 1923–1937)
Longest goalkeeping run without conceding a goal: 1,311 minutes, Edwin van der Sar (for Manchester United, 2008–09)
Youngest goalscorer: Ronnie Dix, 15 years and 180 days (for Bristol Rovers v. Norwich City, 3 March 1928)
Youngest top-flight goalscorer: Jason Dozzell, 16 years and 57 days (for Ipswich Town v. Coventry City, February 1984)
Youngest hat-trick goalscorer: Trevor Francis, 16 years and 317 days (for Birmingham City v. Bolton Wanderers, 20 February 1971)

text: FA Cup[edit]

text: Final[edit]

text: Team[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Most wins: 13:

Arsenal (1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017)

Most consecutive wins: 3, joint record:

Wanderers (1876, 1877, 1878)
Blackburn Rovers, (1884, 1885, 1886)

Most appearances in a final: 20, joint record:

Arsenal (1927, 1930, 1932, 1936, 1950, 1952, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, 2017)
Manchester United (1909, 1948, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2016, 2018)

Most consecutive/uninterrupted years as FA Cup Champions: 7, Portsmouth F.C., (1939-1946)
Most Final appearances without ever winning: 4, Leicester City (1949, 1961, 1963, 1969)
Most Final appearances without ever losing: 5, Wanderers (1872, 1873, 1876, 1877, 1878)
Most Final appearances without losing (streak): 7, Tottenham Hotspur (1901, 1921, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1981, 1982)
Biggest win: 6 goals: Bury 6–0 Derby County, (1903)
Most goals in a final: 7:

Blackburn Rovers 6–1 Sheffield Wednesday (1890)
Blackpool 4–3 Bolton Wanderers (1953)

Most goals by a losing side: 3:

Bolton Wanderers: Lost 3–4 against Blackpool (1953)
West Ham United: Drew 3–3 but lost in a penalty shootout against Liverpool (2006)

Most defeats: 8, Everton (1893, 1897, 1907, 1968, 1985, 1986, 1989, 2009)

text: Individual[edit]

text:
Most wins: 7, Ashley Cole (Arsenal) (2002, 2003, 2005) & (Chelsea) (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Most appearances: 9, Arthur Kinnaird (Wanderers) (1872–73, 1874–75, 1875–76, 1876–77, 1877–78) & (Old Etonians) (1878–79, 1880–81, 1881–82, 1882–83)
Most goals (one final): 3, Billy Townley (Blackburn Rovers) (1890), James Logan (Notts County) (1894) & Stan Mortensen (Blackpool) (1953)
Most goals (all finals): 5, Ian Rush (Liverpool)
Most finals scored in: 4, Didier Drogba (Chelsea) (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
Youngest FA Cup finalist: Curtis Weston (Millwall), 17 years and 119 days
Youngest player to score in an FA Cup Final: Norman Whiteside (Manchester United), 18 years and 19 days
Oldest player: Billy Hampson, 41 years and 257 days (for Newcastle United v. Aston Villa, 1923–24)

text: All rounds[edit]

text:
Most FA Cup goals scored: 844: Kettering town[36]
Most FA Cup goals conceded: 539: Aston Villa.[36]
Highest FA Cup goal difference: +305: Aston Villa.[36]
Most FA Cup games played: 440: Arsenal.[36]
Most FA Cup games won: 236: Manchester United.[36]
Most FA Cup games lost: 128: Notts County.[36]
Most FA Cup games drawn: 103: Arsenal.[36]
Biggest win: Preston North End 26–0 Hyde (First Round, 15 October 1887)
Biggest away win: Clapton 0–14 Nottingham Forest (First Round, 17 January 1891) and Boston United 0-14 Spalding United (First Qualifying Round, 1964
Biggest away win by a non-league club against a league club: Derby County 1–6 Boston United (Second Round, 1955/56)
Most clubs competing for trophy in a season: 763 (2011–12)
Longest tie: 660 minutes (6 matches in total), Oxford City v. Alvechurch (Fourth Qualifying Round, 1971–72; Alvechurch won the sixth match 1–0)
Longest penalty shootout: 20 penalties each, Tunbridge Wells v. Littlehampton Town (Preliminary Round Replay, 31 August 2005; Tunbridge Wells won 16–15)
Most rounds played in a season: 9, joint record:

Brighton & Hove Albion (1932–33: 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–5th Rounds)
New Brighton (1956–57: Preliminary, 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–4th Rounds)
Blyth Spartans (1977–78: 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–5th Rounds)
Harlow Town (1979–80: Preliminary, 1st–4th Qualifying Rounds, 1st–4th Rounds)

Most games played in a season: 13, Bideford (1973–74: one First Qualifying, two Second Qualifying, five Third Qualifying, four Fourth Qualifying and one First Round)
Fastest goal: 4 seconds, Gareth Morris (for Ashton United v. Skelmersdale United, 17 September 2001)
Most consecutive games without defeat: 22, Blackburn Rovers (1884–1886)

Most consecutive games without defeat: (Excluding defeat by penalty shoot-out) 29, Chelsea (2009–13)
Fastest hat-trick: 2 min 20 sec, Andy Locke (for Nantwich Town v. Droylsden, 1995)[37]
Most Career Goals: 49, Henry "Harry" Cursham (Notts County between 1877 and 1888).
Most goals by a player in a single FA Cup season: 19, Jimmy Ross (for Preston North End, 1887-88).[38]
Most goals by a player in a single FA Cup game: 9, Ted MacDougall (for AFC Bournemouth in 1971)[39]
Scoreline: Two examples of teams scoring 7 goals and not winning – Dulwich Hamlet 8–7 St Albans City (Fourth Qualifying Round Replay, 22 November 1922), and Dulwich Hamlet 7–7 Wealdstone (Fourth Qualifying Round, 16 November 1929).
Youngest player: Andy Awford, 15 years and 88 days (for Worcester City v. Boreham Wood, Third qualifying round, 1987–88),[40]
Youngest goalscorer: Sean Cato, 16 years and 25 days (for Barrow Town v. Rothwell Town, 2011–12)[41]
Youngest goalscorer (proper rounds): George Williams, 16 years, 2 months and 5 days (for Milton Keynes Dons v. Nantwich Town, 2011–12)

text: League Cup[edit]

text: Final[edit]

text:
Most wins (team): 8, Liverpool (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2012)
Biggest win in a final: 5 goals: Swansea City 5–0 Bradford City (2013)
Most goals in a final (Since one-off match): 5 goals (joint record)

Queens Park Rangers 3–2 West Bromwich Albion (1967)
Aston Villa 3–2 Everton (1977) (Second replay)
Nottingham Forest 3–2 Southampton (1979)
Luton Town 3–2 Arsenal (1988)
Chelsea 3–2 Liverpool (2005)
Swansea City 5–0 Bradford City (2013)
Manchester United 3–2 Southampton (2017)

Most appearances (team): 12, Liverpool
Most wins (individual): 5, Ian Rush (Liverpool, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1994–95)
Most defeats in a final: 6, Arsenal (1968, 1969, 1988, 2007, 2011, 2018)
Most appearances without winning: 2:

West Ham United
Everton
Bolton Wanderers
Sunderland
Southampton

Lowest ranked winners: Queens Park Rangers, Swindon Town – Third Division (now EFL League One)
Lowest ranked finalists: Rochdale – Fourth Division (now EFL League Two) and Bradford City (EFL League Two)
Fastest goal in League Cup Final: 45 seconds, John Arne Riise (Liverpool v. Chelsea in 3–2 defeat, 2005)

text: All rounds[edit]

text:
Biggest win (single match): 10–0, joint record:

West Ham United 10–0 Bury (Second round, second leg, 25 October 1983)
Liverpool 10–0 Fulham (Second round, first leg, 23 September 1986)

Biggest win (aggregate): by 11 goals, joint record:

Liverpool 13–2 Fulham (10–0 First leg & 3–2 Second leg, 1986)
Bury 1–12 West Ham United (1–2 First leg & 0–10 Second leg, 1983)
Liverpool 11–0 Exeter City (5–0 First leg & 6–0 Second leg, 1981)
Watford 11–0 Darlington (8–0 First leg & 3–0 Second leg, 1987)
Everton 11-0 Wrexham (5-0 First leg: Away & 6-0 Second leg: Home, 1990)

Most career goals: 49, joint record:

Geoff Hurst (West Ham United and Stoke City, 1958 to 1976)
Ian Rush (Liverpool and Newcastle United, 1980 to 1998)

Most goals in a single match: 6, Frankie Bunn (for Oldham Athletic v. Scarborough, 25 October 1989, in their 7–0 win)
Most goals by a losing side: Reading (5), Reading v. Arsenal, 30 October 2012 in their 5–7 defeat (after extra time)
Most goals by a side without winning: Dagenham & Redbridge (6), Brentford v. Dagenham & Redbridge, 11 August 2014 in a 6-6 draw (Brentford won 4–2 on penalties).

text: FA Charity / Community Shield[edit]

text: Final[edit]

text:
Most wins (team): 21 (17 outright, 4 shared), Manchester United (1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1977, 1983, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016)
Most appearances (team): 30, Manchester United (1908, 1911, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016)
Record scoreline: Manchester United 8–4 Swindon Town in 1911
Most wins (individual): 9, Ryan Giggs all outright wins (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013)
Most appearances (individual): 15, Ryan Giggs of Manchester United (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013)
Most defeats (individual): 6, Ryan Giggs (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2009)
Most consecutive wins: 4, Everton (1984, 1985, 1986 (shared), 1987)
Most consecutive defeats: 4, Manchester United (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
Most consecutive appearances: 6, Manchester United (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
Most consecutive appearances (individual): 6, Ryan Giggs (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)

text: All competitions[edit]

text:
Fastest century of goals scored during a Premier League season (in fewest no. of games played): 103 goals scored in 34 games by Manchester City in season 2013–14. Previous record: 100 goals scored in 42 games by Chelsea in season 2012–13 (excludes games played / goals scored in FA Community Shield (1/2), UEFA Super Cup (1/1) and FIFA Club World Cup (2/3)).[21]
Fastest century of goals scored during a Premier League season (in elapsed calendar days): 103 goals scored on 18 January 2014 by Manchester City in 2013–14. Previous record: 100 goals scored on 21 February 2013 by Chelsea in season 2012–13 (excludes games played / goals scored in FA Community Shield (1/2), UEFA Super Cup (1/1) and FIFA Club World Cup (2/3)).[21]
Most consecutive penalty shoot out wins: 9 by Bradford City between 6 October 2009 and 11 December 2012[42]

Football League Cup (5th Round), 11 December 2012, Bradford City beat Arsenal 3–2 on penalties (score 1–1 after extra time)
FA Cup (2nd Round Proper replay), 13 November 2012, Bradford City beat Northampton Town 4–2 on penalties (score 3–3 after extra time)
Football League Cup (4th Round), 30 October 2012, Bradford City beat Wigan Athletic 4–2 on penalties (score 0–0 after extra time)
Football League Trophy (2nd Round), 9 October 2012, Bradford City beat Hartlepool United 3–2 on penalties (score 0–0 after normal time)
Football League Trophy (Quarter-finals), 8 November 2011, Bradford City beat Sheffield United 6–5 on penalties (score 1–1 after normal time)
Football League Trophy (2nd Round), 4 October 2011, Bradford City beat Huddersfield Town 4–3 on penalties (score 2–2 after normal time)
Football League Trophy (1st Round), 30 August 2011, Bradford City beat Sheffield Wednesday 3–1 on penalties (score 0–0 after normal time)
Football League Trophy (Quarter-finals), 10 November 2009, Bradford City beat Port Vale 5–4 on penalties (score 2–2 after normal time)
Football League Trophy (2nd Round), 6 October 2009, Bradford City beat Notts County 3–2 on penalties (score 2–2 after normal time)

Fastest penalty awarded: 6 seconds. Chester v Witton Albion – 13 December 2016. Referee Joseph Johnson awarded a penalty when Blaine Hudson upended Tolani Omotola after 6 seconds.[43]

text: Attendance records[edit]

text:
Record attendance: 126,047 – Bolton Wanderers v West Ham United played at Wembley FA Cup Final (28 April 1923).
Record attendance at club ground: 121,919 – Aston Villa v Sunderland played at Crystal Palace FA Cup Final (19 April 1913).
Record home attendance: 85,512 – Tottenham Hotspur v Bayer Leverkusen played at Wembley UEFA Champions League (2 November 2016).
Record home attendance at own stadium: 84,569 – Manchester City v Stoke City played at Maine Road FA Cup R6 (3 March 1934).
Record league attendance: 83,260 – Manchester United v Arsenal played at Maine Road First Division (17 January 1948).
Record league attendance at own stadium: 82,905 – Chelsea v Arsenal played at Stamford Bridge First Division (12 October 1935).
Record attendance at new Wembley: 89,874 – Portsmouth v Cardiff FA Cup Final (17 May 2008).

text: List of English record winners of elite competitions[edit]

text: These tables list the clubs that have won elite honours an English record number of times. It lists all international competitions organised by UEFA and FIFA. It also lists elite competitions organised by the English governing bodies the English Football League, the Premier League, and The Football Association; those competitions where clubs wouldn't have qualified for a higher alternative competition, and those which were neither invitational nor regional.

text: Ongoing competitions[edit]

text:
English record winners of all ongoing elite competitions

Competition
Record club
Total wins
Newest win
Notes

English Champions
Manchester United
20
2013
[44]

FA Cup
Arsenal
13
2017
[45]

EFL Cup
Liverpool
8
2012
[46]

FA Community Shield
Manchester United
21
2016
[47]

UEFA Champions League
Liverpool
5
2005
[48]

UEFA Europa League
Liverpool
3
2001
[49]

UEFA Super Cup
Liverpool
3
2005
[50]

FIFA Club World Cup
Manchester United
1
2008
[51]

text: Discontinued Competitions[edit]

text: This table follows the elite criteria above. It also includes any competitions that were not directly run by the governing bodies but were precursors to such competitions.

text:
English record winners of discontinued elite competitions

Competition
Record club
Total wins
Newest win
Notes

Full Members Cup
Chelsea & Nottingham Forest
2
1992
[52]

Football League Centenary Trophy
Arsenal
1
1988
[53]

Sheriff of London Charity Shield
Corinthian
3
1904
[47]

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Chelsea
2
1998
[54]

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Leeds United
2
1971
[55]

Intercontinental Cup
Manchester United
1
1999

text: Managers[edit]

text:
Longest-serving manager at one club: Fred Everiss, 46 years (West Bromwich Albion 1902–1948)[56]
Shortest-serving manager at one club (excluding caretakers): Leroy Rosenior, 10 minutes (Torquay United, 17 May 2007)[57]
Most trophy wins: Sir Alex Ferguson, 38 (Manchester United)
Most League title wins: Sir Alex Ferguson, 13 (Manchester United)
Most FA Cup wins: Arsène Wenger, 7 (Arsenal)
Most League Cup wins: 4, joint record:

Brian Clough with Nottingham Forest
Sir Alex Ferguson with Manchester United
José Mourinho with Chelsea and Manchester United

Most FA Charity/Community Shield wins: Sir Alex Ferguson, 10 (9 outright, 1 shared) (Manchester United)
Most Intercontinental Cup / FIFA Club World Cup wins: Sir Alex Ferguson, 2 (Manchester United)
Most European Cup / UEFA Champions League wins: Bob Paisley, 3 (Liverpool)*
Most Inter-Cities Fairs Cup / UEFA Cup / Europa League wins: Don Revie, 2 (Leeds United)
Most top-flight League game wins: Sir Alex Ferguson, 625 games (Manchester United)[58]
Most European Cup / UEFA Champions League game wins: Sir Alex Ferguson, 110 games (Manchester United)[58]

text: (*) This is also a joint overall European record.

text: Footnotes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ GGM 26: Arsenal clinch a hat-trick of titles | News Archive | News | Arsenal.com Archived 20 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ All-Time Arsenal | The Club | Arsenal.com
^ Jump up to: a b English Football League and F. A. Premier League Tables 1888-2016 by Michael Robinson (2016)
^ Jump up to: a b c d e England – First Level All-Time Tables
^ Jump up to: a b England – Professional Football All-Time Tables
Jump up ^ Bloomfield, Craig (12 September 2011). "Top 10 starts to a season: Man United, Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leeds United, Spurs and Preston". talksport.com. Talksport. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
Jump up ^ "Club Honours and Records". Reading F.C. 11 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 February 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
Jump up ^ Bate, Adam (27 December 2017). "Manchester City have won 18 games in a row: Who can stop them now?". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
Jump up ^ Clayton, David (3 December 2017). "Silva's late winner makes it 20 wins in a row". Manchester City. Manchester. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b The Football League | Stats | Records | Records – League | Draws | DRAWS Archived 14 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Barclay, Patrick (16 May 2004). "Arsenal join the Invincibles". The Daily Telegraph. London.
Jump up ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
Jump up ^ Football League: Most Consecutive Losses Archived 19 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ England – All-Time Table
Jump up ^ "English Premier League : Full All Time Table". statto.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b c d The Football League | Stats | Records | Records – League | Goals | GOALS Archived 20 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Aston Villa did not win the championship, finishing second to Arsenal whose goal tally of 127 that season is the second-highest ever in the top flight.
Jump up ^ "Man City on course to smash the English goalscoring record". MEN. 2016-09-26.
Jump up ^ England – First Level All-Time Tables
Jump up ^ Behind the Numbers: Scoring scoring Arsenal | Club Records | History | Arsenal.com Archived 21 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Premier League review: Man City landmark and did Suarez dive?". London. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
Jump up ^ "Football League Matches: Arsenal Only Draw, Record Scoring by Stockport". The Manchester Guardian. 8 January 1934. p. 3.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e "English Premier League : Records". statto.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2011.
Jump up ^ Arsenal's A to Z... L is for Ljungberg | Arsenal.com Archived 15 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "More Gaffer football trivia answers". Orange. 10 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
^ Jump up to: a b "Away penalties at Old Trafford", Sean Ingle, Barry Glendenning and Matt Cunningham, The Guardian, 26 June 2003
^ Jump up to: a b "Football League Records: Disciplinary" Archived 7 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine., The Football League, accessed 4 December 2007
Jump up ^ "Tallest Footballers ever", The Guardian, accessed 10 June 2010
Jump up ^ "Lock, Stock and Three Smoking Seconds!", Bobby F.C., accessed 16 December 2017
Jump up ^ "Peter Shilton: Biography". Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2007. Throughout his amazing 30-year career he played for 11 English league clubs through which he accumulated a record 1005 League appearances.
Jump up ^ "Barnsley schoolboy makes history". BBC Sport. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
Jump up ^ GGM 38: Ted Drake scores seven in one game | News Archive | News | Arsenal.com
Jump up ^ Hodgson, Guy; Searl, Liz (8 December 1995). "Football's fastest goal claimed". The Independent. London.
Jump up ^ "Fastest football (soccer) goal in the Premier League by a substitute". Retrieved 2016-07-22.
^ Jump up to: a b c Dave Halliday, Queens Legends. www.qosfc.com
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
Jump up ^ Barber, David (3 February 2010). "Fastest Cup hat-trick". The FA. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
Jump up ^ "FA Cup Heroes". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
Jump up ^ 20 November – Mac o' Nine Tales[permanent dead link], On This Football Day.
Jump up ^ "Gills' Freeman makes Cup history". BBC Sport. 12 November 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
Jump up ^ "Teenager breaks FA Cup record on his debut". Loughborough Echo. 10 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
Jump up ^ "Bradford City penalty shoot-out record following history-making victory over Arsenal". London: Telegraph Media Group Limited. 12 December 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
Jump up ^ http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/chester-fc-concede-quickest-penalty-12317985
Jump up ^ Ross, James (1 Sep 2016). "England - List of Champions". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Ross, James (26 May 2016). "England FA Challenge Cup Finals". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Ross, James (2 March 2017). "England - Football League Cup Finals". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Ross, James (18 August 2016). "England - List of FA Charity/Community Shield Matches". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Stokkermans, Karel (8 September 2016). "European Champions' Cup Matches". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Stokkermans, Karel (8 September 2016). "UEFA Cup". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Stokkermans, Karel (18 August 2016). "European Super Cup". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Leme de Arruda, Marcelo; Di Maggio, Roberto (12 January 2017). "FIFA Club World Cup". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Football League Full Members' Cup Summary". www.fchd.info. Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
Jump up ^ "How Arsenal won the Centenary Trophy, the least celebrated title in their history". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
Jump up ^ Stokkermans, Karel (26 January 2000). "European Cup Winners' Cup". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ Stokkermans, Karel (26 January 2000). "Fairs' Cup". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "LMA's Longest Serving Managers – Historical". League Manager's Association. Archived from the original on 6 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
Jump up ^ Leroy Rosenior lost his job at Torquay just 10 minutes after being introduced as the Devon club's new manager. The then Chairman Mike Bateson called him to say he had just sold the club to a group led by Colin Lee, who reinstated himself as director of football only a matter of days after being made redundant by the club.
^ Jump up to: a b "UNITED under Sir Alex FERGUSON". StretfordEnd.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2010.


document_title: Dolphin

question_text: how many dolphins are born at a time

question_tokens: how many dolphins are born at a time

root

text: Dolphin

text: Etymology

text: The name is originally from Greek δελφίς (delphís), "dolphin",[1] which was related to the Greek δελφύς (delphus), "womb".[1] The animal's name can therefore be interpreted as meaning "a 'fish' with a womb".[2] The name was transmitted via the Latin delphinus[3] (the romanization of the later Greek δελφῖνος – delphinos[1]), which in Medieval Latin became dolfinus and in Old French daulphin, which reintroduced the ph into the word. The term mereswine (that is, "sea pig") has also historically been used.[4]

tag: p

text:
The term 'dolphin' can be used to refer to, under the parvorder Odontoceti, all the species in the family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins) and the river dolphin families Iniidae (South American river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (La Plata dolphin), Lipotidae (Yangtze river dolphin) and Platanistidae (Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin).[5][6]
This term has often been misused in the US, mainly in the fishing industry, where all small cetaceans (dolphins and porpoises) are considered porpoises,[7] while the fish dorado is called dolphin fish.[8] In common usage the term 'whale' is used only for the larger cetacean species,[9] while the smaller ones with a beaked or longer nose are considered 'dolphins'.[10] The name 'dolphin' is used casually as a synonym for bottlenose dolphin, the most common and familiar species of dolphin.[11] There are six species of dolphins commonly thought of as whales, collectively known as blackfish: the killer whale, the melon-headed whale, the pygmy killer whale, the false killer whale, and the two species of pilot whales, all of which are classified under the family Delphinidae and qualify as dolphins.[12] Though the terms 'dolphin' and 'porpoise' are sometimes used interchangeably, porpoises are not considered dolphins and have different physical features such as a shorter beak and spade-shaped teeth; they also differ in their behavior. Porpoises belong to the family Phocoenidae and share a common ancestry with the Delphinidae.[11]

text: A group of dolphins is called a "school" or a "pod". Male dolphins are called "bulls", females "cows" and young dolphins are called "calves".[13]

text: Taxonomy and distribution

text:
Parvorder Odontoceti, toothed whales
Family Platanistidae
Ganges and Indus river dolphin, Platanista gangetica with two subspecies
Ganges river dolphin (or Susu), Platanista gangetica gangetica
Indus river dolphin (or Bhulan), Platanista gangetica minor
Family Iniidae
Amazon river dolphin (or Boto), Inia geoffrensis
Orinoco river dolphin (the Orinoco subspecies), Inia geoffrensis humboldtiana
Araguaian river dolphin (Araguaian boto), Inia Araguaiaensis
Bolivian river dolphin, Inia boliviensis
Family Lipotidae
Baiji (or Chinese river dolphin), Lipotes vexillifer (possibly extinct, since December 2006)
Family Pontoporiidae
La Plata dolphin (or Franciscana), Pontoporia blainvillei
Family Delphinidae, oceanic dolphins
Genus Delphinus
Long-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus capensis
Short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis
Genus Tursiops
Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus
Burrunan dolphin, Tursiops australis, a newly discovered species from the sea around Melbourne in September 2011.[14]
Genus Lissodelphis
Northern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis
Southern right whale dolphin, Lissodelphis peronii
Genus Sotalia
Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis
Costero, Sotalia guianensis
Genus Sousa
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, Sousa chinensis
Chinese white dolphin, Sousa chinensis chinensis
Atlantic humpback dolphin, Sousa teuszii
Genus Stenella
Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis
Clymene dolphin, Stenella clymene
Pantropical spotted dolphin, Stenella attenuata
Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris
Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
Genus Steno
Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis
Genus Cephalorhynchus
Chilean dolphin, Cephalorhynchus eutropia
Commerson's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii
Haviside's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
Hector's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori
Genus Grampus
Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus
Genus Lagenodelphis
Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei
Genus Lagenorhynchus
Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus
Dusky dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus
Hourglass dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger
Pacific white-sided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
Peale's dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis
White-beaked dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
Genus Orcaella
Australian snubfin dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni
Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris
Genus Peponocephala
Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra
Genus Orcinus
Killer whale (Orca), Orcinus orca
Genus Feresa
Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata
Genus Pseudorca
False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens
Genus Globicephala
Long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas
Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus
Genus †Australodelphis
†Australodelphis mirus
Six species in the family Delphinidae are commonly called "whales", but genetically are dolphins. They are sometimes called blackfish.
Melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra
Killer whale (Orca), Orcinus orca
Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata
False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens
Long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas
Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus

tag: ul

text: Ocean dolphins

text:
Name
Repartition
Image

La Plata dolphin
South America (east)

Long-beaked common dolphin
cosmopolitan

Short-beaked common dolphin
cosmopolitan

Common bottlenose dolphin
cosmopolitan

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin
Indo-Pacific

Burrunan dolphin
Australia (south-east)

Northern right whale dolphin
Pacific (north)

Southern right whale dolphin
Southern Ocean

Guiana dolphin
South America (north & east)

Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin
Indo-Pacific

Atlantic humpback dolphin
Africa (west)

Australian humpback dolphin
Australia (north) & New Guinea

Atlantic spotted dolphin
Atlantic

Clymene dolphin
Atlantic

Pantropical spotted dolphin
pantropical

Spinner dolphin
pantropical

Striped dolphin
cosmopolitan

Rough-toothed dolphin
cosmopolitan

Chilean dolphin
South America (south-west)

Commerson's dolphin
South America (south-east)

Haviside's dolphin
Africa (south-west)

Hector's dolphin
New-Zealand (South Island)

Risso's dolphin
cosmopolitan

Fraser's dolphin
pantropical

Atlantic white-sided dolphin
Atlantic (north), North & Baltic Sea

Dusky dolphin
southern hemisphere

Hourglass dolphin
Southern Ocean

Pacific white-sided dolphin
Pacific (north)

Peale's dolphin
South America (south)

White-beaked dolphin
Atlantic (north), North & Baltic Sea

Australian snubfin dolphin
Australia (north)

Irrawaddy dolphin
Indo-Pacific

Melon-headed whale
pantropical

Killer whale
cosmopolitan

Pygmy killer whale
pantropical

False killer whale
cosmopolitan

Short-finned pilot whale
cosmopolitan

Long-finned pilot whale
Atlantic (north) & Southern Ocean

tag: table

text: River dolphins

text:
Name
Repartition
Image

Baiji
Yangtze River

South Asian river dolphin
Asia (south)

Amazon river dolphin
Amazon Basin

Araguaian river dolphin
Amazon (east)

Bolivian river dolphin
Amazon (Bolivia)

Tucuxi
Amazon Basin

text: Hybridization

text: In 1933, three strange dolphins beached off the Irish coast; they appeared to be hybrids between Risso's and bottlenose dolphins.[15] This mating was later repeated in captivity, producing a hybrid calf. In captivity, a bottlenose and a rough-toothed dolphin produced hybrid offspring.[16] A common-bottlenose hybrid lives at SeaWorld California.[17] Other dolphin hybrids live in captivity around the world or have been reported in the wild, such as a bottlenose-Atlantic spotted hybrid.[18] The best known hybrid is the wolphin, a false killer whale-bottlenose dolphin hybrid. The wolphin is a fertile hybrid. Two wolphins currently live at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii; the first was born in 1985 from a male false killer whale and a female bottlenose. Wolphins have also been observed in the wild.[19]

text: Evolution

text: Dolphins are descendants of land-dwelling mammals of the artiodactyl order (even-toed ungulates). They are related to the Indohyus, an extinct chevrotain-like ungulate, from which they split approximately 48 million years ago.[20][21]

text: The primitive cetaceans, or archaeocetes, first took to the sea approximately 49 million years ago and became fully aquatic by 5–10 million years later.[22]

text: Archaeoceti is a parvorder comprising ancient whales. These ancient whales are the predecessors of modern whales, stretching back to their first ancestor that spent their lives near (rarely in) the water. Likewise, the archaeocetes can be anywhere from near fully terrestrial, to semi-aquatic to fully aquatic, but what defines an archaeocete is the presence of visible legs or asymmetrical teeth.[23][24][25][26] Their features became adapted for living in the marine environment. Major anatomical changes include the hearing set-up that channeled vibrations from the jaw to the earbone which occurred with Ambulocetus 49 million years ago, a streamlining of the body and the growth of flukes on the tail which occurred around 43 million years ago with Protocetus, the migration of the nasal openings toward the top of the cranium and the modification of the forelimbs into flippers which occurred with Basilosaurus 35 million years ago, and the shrinking and eventual disappearance of the hind limbs which took place with the first odontocetes and mysticetes 34 million years ago.[27][28][29] The modern dolphin skeleton has two small, rod-shaped pelvic bones thought to be vestigial hind limbs. In October 2006, an unusual bottlenose dolphin was captured in Japan; it had small fins on each side of its genital slit, which scientists believe to be an unusually pronounced development of these vestigial hind limbs.[30]

text: Today, the closest living relatives of cetaceans are the hippopotamuses; these share a semi-aquatic ancestor that branched off from other artiodactyls some 60 million years ago.[31] Around 40 million years ago, a common ancestor between the two branched off into cetacea and anthracotheres; anthracotheres became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene two-and-a-half million years ago, eventually leaving only one surviving lineage: the hippo.[32][33]

text: Anatomy

text: Dolphins have torpedo shaped bodies with generally non-flexible necks, limbs modified into flippers, non-existent external ear flaps, a tail fin, and bulbous heads. Dolphin skulls have small eye orbits, long snouts, and eyes placed on the sides of its head. Dolphins range in size from the 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) long and 50 kilograms (110 lb) Maui's dolphin to the 9.5 metres (31 ft) and 10 metric tons (11 short tons) killer whale. Overall, however, they tend to be dwarfed by other Cetartiodactyls. Several species have female-biased sexual dimorphism, with the females being larger than the males.[34][35]

text: Dolphins have conical teeth, as opposed to porpoises' spade-shaped teeth. These conical teeth are used to catch swift prey such as fish, squid or large mammals, such as seal.[35]

text: Breathing involves expelling stale air from their blowhole, forming an upward, steamy spout, followed by inhaling fresh air into the lungs, however this only occurs in the polar regions of the oceans. Dolphins have rather small, unidentifiable spouts.[35][36]

text: All dolphins have a thick layer of blubber, thickness varying on climate. This blubber can help with buoyancy, protection to some extent as predators would have a hard time getting through a thick layer of fat, and energy for leaner times; the primary usage for blubber is insulation from the harsh climate. Calves, generally, are born with a thin layer of blubber, which develops at different paces depending on the habitat.[35][37]

text: Dolphins have a two-chambered stomach that is similar in structure to terrestrial carnivores. They have fundic and pyloric chambers.[38]

text: Dolphins' reproductive organs are located inside the body, with genital slits on the ventral (belly) side. Males have two slits, one concealing the dolphin penis and one further behind for the anus.[39] Females have one genital slit, housing the vagina and the anus, with a mammary slit on either side.[40][41][42]

text: Locomotive

text: Dolphins have two pectoral flippers, containing four digits, a boneless dorsal fin for stability, and a tail fin for propulsion. Although dolphins do not possess external hind limbs, some possess discrete rudimentary appendages, which may contain feet and digits. Dolphins are fast swimmers in comparison to seals which typically cruise at 9–28 kilometres per hour (5.6–17.4 mph); the killer whale (orca), in comparison, can travel at speeds up to 55.5 kilometres per hour (34.5 mph). The fusing of the neck vertebrae, while increasing stability when swimming at high speeds, decreases flexibility, which means they are unable to turn their heads.[43][44] River dolphins, however, have non-fused neck vertebrae and are able to turn their head up to 90°.[45]  Dolphins swim by moving their tail fin and rear body vertically, while their flippers are mainly used for steering. Some species log out of the water, which may allow them to travel faster. Their skeletal anatomy allows them to be fast swimmers. All species have a dorsal fin to prevent themselves from involuntarily spinning in the water.[35][37]

text: Some dolphins are adapted for diving to great depths. In addition to their streamlined bodies, some can slow their heart rate to conserve oxygen. Some can also re-route blood from tissue tolerant of water pressure to the heart, brain and other organs. Their hemoglobin and myoglobin store oxygen in body tissues and they have twice the concentration of myoglobin than hemoglobin.[46]

text: Sensory

text: The dolphin ear has specific adaptations to the marine environment. In humans, the middle ear works as an impedance equalizer between the outside air's low impedance and the cochlear fluid's high impedance. In dolphins, and other marine mammals, there is no great difference between the outer and inner environments. Instead of sound passing through the outer ear to the middle ear, dolphins receive sound through the throat, from which it passes through a low-impedance fat-filled cavity to the inner ear. The dolphin ear is acoustically isolated from the skull by air-filled sinus pockets, which allow for greater directional hearing underwater.[47] Dolphins send out high frequency clicks from an organ known as a melon. This melon consists of fat, and the skull of any such creature containing a melon will have a large depression. This allows dolphins to produce biosonar for orientation.[35][48][49][50][51] Though most dolphins do not have hair, they do have hair follicles that may perform some sensory function.[52] Beyond locating an object, echolocation also provides the animal with an idea on an object's shape and size, though how exactly this works is not yet understood.[53] The small hairs on the rostrum of the boto are believed to function as a tactile sense, possibly to compensate for the boto's poor eyesight.[54]

text: The dolphin eye is relatively small for its size, yet they do retain a good degree of eyesight. As well as this, the eyes of a dolphin are placed on the sides of its head, so their vision consists of two fields, rather than a binocular view like humans have. When dolphins surface, their lens and cornea correct the nearsightedness that results from the refraction of light; they contain both rod and cone cells, meaning they can see in both dim and bright light, but they have far more rod cells than they do cone cells. Dolphins do, however, lack short wavelength sensitive visual pigments in their cone cells indicating a more limited capacity for color vision than most mammals.[55] Most dolphins have slightly flattened eyeballs, enlarged pupils (which shrink as they surface to prevent damage), slightly flattened corneas and a  tapetum lucidum; these adaptations allow for large amounts of light to pass through the eye and, therefore, a very clear image of the surrounding area. They also have glands on the eyelids and outer corneal layer that act as protection for the cornea.[48]

text: The olfactory lobes are absent in dolphins, suggesting that they have no sense of smell.[48]

text: Dolphins are not thought to have a good sense of taste, as their taste buds are atrophied or missing altogether. However, some have preferences between different kinds of fish, indicating some sort of attachment to taste.[48]

text: Behavior

text: Dolphins are often regarded as one of Earth's most intelligent animals, though it is hard to say just how intelligent. Comparing species' relative intelligence is complicated by differences in sensory apparatus, response modes, and nature of cognition. Furthermore, the difficulty and expense of experimental work with large aquatic animals has so far prevented some tests and limited sample size and rigor in others. Compared to many other species, however, dolphin behavior has been studied extensively, both in captivity and in the wild. See cetacean intelligence for more details.

text: Socialization

text: Dolphins are highly social animals, often living in pods of up to a dozen individuals, though pod sizes and structures vary greatly between species and locations. In places with a high abundance of food, pods can merge temporarily, forming a superpod; such groupings may exceed 1,000 dolphins. Membership in pods is not rigid; interchange is common. Dolphins can, however, establish strong social bonds; they will stay with injured or ill individuals, even helping them to breathe by bringing them to the surface if needed.[56] This altruism does not appear to be limited to their own species. The dolphin Moko in New Zealand has been observed guiding a female Pygmy Sperm Whale together with her calf out of shallow water where they had stranded several times.[57] They have also been seen protecting swimmers from sharks by swimming circles around the swimmers[58][59] or charging the sharks to make them go away.

text: Dolphins communicate using a variety of clicks, whistle-like sounds and other vocalizations. Dolphins also use nonverbal communication by means of touch and posturing.[60]

text: Dolphins also display culture, something long believed to be unique to humans (and possibly other primate species). In May 2005, a discovery in Australia found Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) teaching their young to use tools. They cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging. This knowledge is mostly transferred by mothers to daughters, unlike simian primates, where knowledge is generally passed on to both sexes. Using sponges as mouth protection is a learned behavior.[61] Another learned behavior was discovered among river dolphins in Brazil, where some male dolphins use weeds and sticks as part of a sexual display.[62]

text: Forms of care-giving between fellows and even for members of different species[63] (see Moko (dolphin))  are recorded in various species -  such as trying to save weakened fellows[64] or female pilot whales holding up dead calves for long periods.

text: Dolphins engage in acts of aggression towards each other. The older a male dolphin is, the more likely his body is to be covered with bite scars. Male dolphins can get into disputes over companions and females. Acts of aggression can become so intense that targeted dolphins sometimes go into exile after losing a fight.

text: Male bottlenose dolphins have been known to engage in infanticide. Dolphins have also been known to kill porpoises for reasons which are not fully understood, as porpoises generally do not share the same diet as dolphins and are therefore not competitors for food supplies.[65] The Cornwall Wildlife Trust records about one such death a year. Possible explanations include misdirected infanticide, misdirected sexual aggression or play behaviour.[66]

text: Reproduction and sexuality

text: Dolphin copulation happens belly to belly; though many species engage in lengthy foreplay, the actual act is usually brief, but may be repeated several times within a short timespan.[67] The gestation period varies with species; for the small Tucuxi dolphin, this period is around 11 to 12 months,[68] while for the orca, the gestation period is around 17 months.[69] Typically dolphins give birth to a single calf, which is, unlike most other mammals, born tail first in most cases.[70] They usually become sexually active at a young age, even before reaching sexual maturity.[67] The age of sexual maturity varies by species and gender.[71]

text: Dolphins are known to display non-reproductive sexual behavior, engaging in masturbation, stimulation of the genital area of other individuals using the rostrum or flippers, and homosexual contact.[67][72][73]

text: Various species of dolphin have been known to engage in sexual behavior up to and including copulation with dolphins of other species. Sexual encounters may be violent, with male dolphins sometimes showing aggressive behavior towards both females and other males.[74] Male dolphins may also work together and attempt to herd females in estrus, keeping the females by their side by means of both physical aggression and intimidation, to increase their chances of reproductive success.[75] Occasionally, dolphins behave sexually towards other animals, including humans.[76][77]

text: Feeding

text: Various methods of feeding exist among and within species, some apparently exclusive to a single population. Fish and squid are the main food, but the false killer whale and the orca also feed on other marine mammals. Orcas on occasion also hunt whale species larger than themselves.[78]

text: One common feeding method is herding, where a pod squeezes a school of fish into a small volume, known as a bait ball. Individual members then take turns plowing through the ball, feeding on the stunned fish.[78] Coralling is a method where dolphins chase fish into shallow water to catch them more easily.[78] Orcas and bottlenose dolphins have also been known to drive their prey onto a beach to feed on it, a behaviour known as beach or strand feeding.[79][80] Some species also whack fish with their flukes, stunning them and sometimes knocking them out of the water.[78]

text: Reports of cooperative human-dolphin fishing date back to the ancient Roman author and natural philosopher Pliny the Elder.[81] A modern human-dolphin partnership currently operates in Laguna, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Here, dolphins drive fish towards fishermen waiting along the shore and signal the men to cast their nets. The dolphins' reward is the fish that escape the nets.[82][83]

text: Vocalization

text: Dolphins are capable of making a broad range of sounds using nasal airsacs located just below the blowhole. Roughly three categories of sounds can be identified: frequency modulated whistles, burst-pulsed sounds and clicks. Dolphins communicate with whistle-like sounds produced by vibrating connective tissue, similar to the way human vocal cords function,[84] and through burst-pulsed sounds, though the nature and extent of that ability is not known. The clicks are directional and are for echolocation, often occurring in a short series called a click train. The click rate increases when approaching an object of interest. Dolphin echolocation clicks are amongst the loudest sounds made by marine animals.[85]

text: Bottlenose dolphins have been found to have signature whistles, a whistle that is unique to a specific individual. These whistles are used in order for dolphins to communicate with one another by identifying an individual. It can be seen as the dolphin equivalent of a name for humans.[86] These signature whistles are developed during a dolphin's first year; it continues to maintain the same sound throughout its lifetime.[87] In order to obtain each individual whistle sound, dolphins undergo vocal production learning. This consists of an experience with other dolphins that modifies the signal structure of an existing whistle sound. An auditory experience influences the whistle development of each dolphin. Dolphins are able to communicate to one another by addressing another dolphin through mimicking their whistle. The signature whistle of a male bottlenose dolphin tends to be similar to that of his mother, while the signature whistle of a female bottlenose dolphin tends to be more distinguishing.[88] Bottlenose dolphins have a strong memory when it comes to these signature whistles, as they are able to relate to a signature whistle of an individual they have not encountered for over twenty years.[89] Research done on signature whistle usage by other dolphin species is relatively limited. The research on other species done so far has yielded varied outcomes and inconclusive results.[90][91][92][93]

text: Because dolphins are generally associated in groups, communication is necessary. Signal masking is when other similar sounds (conspecific sounds) interfere with the original acoustic sound.[94] In larger groups, individual whistle sounds are less prominent. Dolphins tend to travel in pods, upon which there are groups of dolphins that range from a few to many. Although they are traveling in these pods, the dolphins do not necessarily swim right next to each other. Rather, they swim within the same general vicinity. In order to prevent losing one of their pod members, there are higher whistle rates. Because their group members were spread out, this was done in order to continue traveling together.

text: Jumping and playing

text: Dolphins frequently leap above the water surface, this being done for various reasons. When travelling, jumping can save the dolphin energy as there is less friction while in the air.[95] This type of travel is known as porpoising.[95] Other reasons include orientation, social displays, fighting, non-verbal communication, entertainment and attempting to dislodge parasites.[96][97]

text: Dolphins show various types of playful behavior, often including objects, self-made bubble rings, other dolphins or other animals.[6][98][99] When playing with objects or small animals, common behavior includes carrying the object or animal along using various parts of the body, passing it along to other members of the group or taking it from another member, or throwing it out of the water.[98] Dolphins have also been observed harassing animals in other ways, for example by dragging birds underwater without showing any intent to eat them.[98] Playful behaviour that involves another animal species with active participation of the other animal can also be observed however. Playful human interaction with dolphins being the most obvious example, however playful interactions have been observed in the wild with a number of other species as well, such as humpback whales and dogs.[100][101]

text: Juvenile dolphins off the coast of Western Australia have been observed chasing, capturing, and chewing on blowfish.[102]  While some reports state that the dolphins are becoming intoxicated on the tetrodotoxin in the fishes' skin,[103] other reports have characterized this behavior as the normal curiosity and exploration of their environment in which dolphins engage.[104]

text: Intelligence

text: Dolphins are known to teach, learn, cooperate, scheme, and grieve.[105] The neocortex of many species is home to elongated spindle neurons that, prior to 2007, were known only in hominids.[106] In humans, these cells are involved in social conduct, emotions, judgment, and theory of mind.[107] Cetacean spindle neurons are found in areas of the brain that are homologous to where they are found in humans, suggesting that they perform a similar function.[108]

text: Brain size was previously considered a major indicator of the intelligence of an animal. Since most of the brain is used for maintaining bodily functions, greater ratios of brain to body mass may increase the amount of brain mass available for more complex cognitive tasks. Allometric analysis indicates that mammalian brain size scales at approximately the ⅔ or ¾ exponent of the body mass.[109] Comparison of a particular animal's brain size with the expected brain size based on such allometric analysis provides an encephalization quotient that can be used as another indication of animal intelligence. Killer whales have the second largest brain mass of any animal on earth, next to the sperm whale.[110] The brain to body mass ratio in some is second only to humans.[111]

text:
Self-awareness is seen, by some, to be a sign of highly developed, abstract thinking. Self-awareness, though not well-defined scientifically, is believed to be the precursor to more advanced processes like meta-cognitive reasoning (thinking about thinking) that are typical of humans. Research in this field has suggested that cetaceans, among others, possess self-awareness.[112]
The most widely used test for self-awareness in animals is the mirror test in which a temporary dye is placed on an animal's body, and the animal is then presented with a mirror; they then see if the animal shows signs of self-recognition.[113]

text: Some disagree with these findings, arguing that the results of these tests are open to human interpretation and susceptible to the Clever Hans effect. This test is much less definitive than when used for primates, because primates can touch the mark or the mirror, while cetaceans cannot, making their alleged self-recognition behavior less certain. Skeptics argue that behaviors that are said to identify self-awareness resemble existing social behaviors, and so researchers could be misinterpreting self-awareness for social responses to another individual. The researchers counter-argue that the behaviors shown are evidence of self-awareness, as they are very different from normal responses to another individual. Whereas apes can merely touch the mark on themselves with their fingers, cetaceans show less definitive behavior of self-awareness; they can only twist and turn themselves to observe the mark.[113]

text: In 1995, Marten and Psarakos used television to test dolphin self-awareness.[114] They showed dolphins real-time footage of themselves, recorded footage, and another dolphin. They concluded that their evidence suggested self-awareness rather than social behavior. While this particular study has not been repeated since then, dolphins have since passed the mirror test.[113]

text: Sleeping

text:
Generally, dolphins sleep with only one brain hemisphere in slow-wave sleep at a time, thus maintaining enough consciousness to breathe and to watch for possible predators and other threats. Earlier sleep stages can occur simultaneously in both hemispheres.[115][116][117]
In captivity, dolphins seemingly enter a fully asleep state where both eyes are closed and there is no response to mild external stimuli. In this case, respiration is automatic; a tail kick reflex keeps the blowhole above the water if necessary. Anesthetized dolphins initially show a tail kick reflex.[118]  Though a similar state has been observed with wild sperm whales, it is not known if dolphins in the wild reach this state.[119] The Indus river dolphin has a sleep method that is different from that of other dolphin species. Living in water with strong currents and potentially dangerous floating debris, it must swim continuously to avoid injury. As a result, this species sleeps in very short bursts which last between 4 and 60 seconds.[120]

text: Threats

text: Dolphins have few marine enemies. Some species or specific populations have none, making them apex predators. For most of the smaller species of dolphins, only a few of the larger sharks, such as the bull shark, dusky shark, tiger shark and great white shark, are a potential risk, especially for calves.[121] Some of the larger dolphin species, especially orcas (killer whales), may also prey on smaller dolphins, but this seems rare.[122][123] Dolphins also suffer from a wide variety of diseases and parasites.[124][125]  The Cetacean morbillivirus in particular has been known to cause regional epizootics often leaving hundreds of animals of various species dead.[126][127] Symptoms of infection are often a severe combination of pneumonia, encephalitis and damage to the immune system, which greatly impair the cetacean's ability to swim and stay afloat unassisted.[128][129] A study at the U.S. National Marine Mammal Foundation revealed that dolphins, like humans, develop a natural form of type 2 diabetes which may lead to a better understanding of the disease and new treatments for both humans and dolphins.[130]

text: Dolphins can tolerate and recover from extreme injuries such as shark bites although the exact methods used to achieve this are not known. The healing process is rapid and even very deep wounds do not cause dolphins to hemorrhage to death. Furthermore, even gaping wounds restore in such a way that the animal's body shape is restored, and infection of such large wounds seems rare.[131]

text: The study, published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, suggests that at least some dolphins are up to the shark challenge with research finding that many dolphins survive attacks using everything from sophisticated combat moves to teaming up against the shark.[132][133][134]

text: Humans

text: Some dolphin species are at risk of extinction, especially some river dolphin species such as the Amazon river dolphin, and the Ganges and Yangtze river dolphin, which are critically or seriously endangered. A 2006 survey found no individuals of the Yangtze river dolphin, which now appears to be functionally extinct.[135]

text: Pesticides, heavy metals, plastics, and other industrial and agricultural pollutants that do not disintegrate rapidly in the environment concentrate in predators such as dolphins.[136] Injuries or deaths due to collisions with boats, especially their propellers, are also common.

text: Various fishing methods, most notably purse seine fishing for tuna and the use of drift and gill nets, unintentionally kill many dolphins.[137] Accidental by-catch in gill nets and incidental captures in antipredator nets that protect marine fish farms are common and pose a risk for mainly local dolphin populations.[138][139] In some parts of the world, such as Taiji in Japan and the Faroe Islands, dolphins are traditionally considered food and are killed in harpoon or drive hunts.[140] Dolphin meat is high in mercury and may thus pose a health danger to humans when consumed.[141]

text:
Dolphin safe labels attempt to reassure consumers that fish and other marine products have been caught in a dolphin-friendly way. The earliest campaigns with "Dolphin safe" labels were initiated in the 1980s as a result of cooperation between marine activists and the major tuna companies, and involved decreasing incidental dolphin kills by up to 50% by changing the type of nets used to catch tuna. The dolphins are netted only while fishermen are in pursuit of smaller tuna. Albacore are not netted this way, making albacore the only truly dolphin-safe tuna.[142]
Loud underwater noises, such as those resulting from naval sonar use, live firing exercises, and certain offshore construction projects such as wind farms, may be harmful to dolphins, increasing stress, damaging hearing, and causing decompression sickness by forcing them to surface too quickly to escape the noise.[143][144]

text: Dolphins and other smaller cetaceans are also hunted in an activity known as dolphin drive hunting. This is accomplished by driving a pod together with boats and usually into a bay or onto a beach. Their escape is prevented by closing off the route to the ocean with other boats or nets. Dolphins are hunted this way in several places around the world, including the Solomon Islands, the Faroe Islands, Peru, and Japan, the most well-known practitioner of this method. By numbers, dolphins are mostly hunted for their meat, though some end up in dolphinariums. Despite the controversial nature of the hunt resulting in international criticism, and the possible health risk that the often polluted meat causes, thousands of dolphins are caught in drive hunts each year.

text: Relationships with humans

text: In history and religion

text: Dolphins have long played a role in human culture. Dolphins are sometimes used as symbols, for instance in heraldry.

text: In Greek myths, dolphins were seen invariably as helpers of humankind. Dolphins also seem to have been important to the Minoans, judging by artistic evidence from the ruined palace at Knossos. During the 2009 excavations of a major Mycenaean city at Iklaina, a striking fragment of a wall-paintings came to light, depicting a ship with three human figures and dolphins. Dolphins are common in Greek mythology, and many coins from ancient Greece have been found which feature a man, a boy or a deity riding on the back of a dolphin.[145] The Ancient Greeks welcomed dolphins; spotting dolphins riding in a ship's wake was considered a good omen.[146] In both ancient and later art, Cupid is often shown riding a dolphin. A dolphin rescued the poet Arion from drowning and carried him safe to land, at Cape Matapan, a promontory forming the southernmost point of the Peloponnesus. There was a temple to Poseidon and a statue of Arion riding the dolphin.[147]

text: The Greeks reimagined the Phoenician god Melqart as Melikertês (Melicertes) and made him the son of Athamas and Ino. He drowned but was transfigured as the marine deity Palaemon, while his mother became Leucothea. (cf Ino.) At Corinth, he was so closely connected with the cult of Poseidon that the Isthmian Games, originally instituted in Poseidon's honor, came to be looked upon as the funeral games of Melicertes. Phalanthus was another legendary character brought safely to shore (in Italy) on the back of a dolphin, according to Pausanias.

text: Dionysus was once captured by Etruscan pirates who mistook him for a wealthy prince they could ransom. After the ship set sail Dionysus invoked his divine powers, causing vines to overgrow the ship where the mast and sails had been. He turned the oars into serpents, so terrifying the sailors that they jumped overboard, but Dionysus took pity on them and transformed them into dolphins so that they would spend their lives providing help for those in need. Dolphins were also the messengers of Poseidon and sometimes did errands for him as well. Dolphins were sacred to both Aphrodite and Apollo.

text: When heraldry developed in the Middle Ages, not much was known about the biology of the dolphin and it was often depicted as a sort of fish. Traditionally, the stylised dolphins in heraldry still may take after this notion, sometimes showing the dolphin skin covered with fish scales.

text: Dolphins are present in the coat of arms of Anguilla and the coat of arms of Romania,[148] and the coat of arms of Barbados has a dolphin supporter.[149][150]

text: A well-known historical example of a dolphin in heraldry, was the arms for the former province of the Dauphiné in southern France, from which were derived the arms and the title of the Dauphin of France, the heir to the former throne of France (the title literally means "The Dolphin of France").

text: "Dolfin" was the name of an aristocratic family in the maritime Republic of Venice, whose most prominent member was the 13th Century Doge Giovanni Dolfin.

text: In Hindu mythology the Ganges River Dolphin is associated with Ganga, the deity of the Ganges river. The dolphin is said to be among the creatures which heralded the goddess' descent from the heavens and her mount, the Makara, is sometimes depicted as a dolphin.[151]

text: The Boto, a species of river dolphin that resides in the Amazon River, are believed to be shapeshifters, or encantados, who are capable of having children with human women.

text: There are comparatively few surviving myths of dolphins in Polynesian cultures, in spite of their maritime traditions and relevance of other marine animals such as sharks and seabirds; unlike these, they are more often perceived as food than as totemic symbols. Dolphins are most clearly represented in Rapa Nui Rongorongo, and in the traditions of the Caroline Islands they are depicted similarly to the Boto, being sexually active shapeshifters.[152]

text: In captivity

text: Species

text:
The renewed popularity of dolphins in the 1960s resulted in the appearance of many dolphinaria around the world, making dolphins accessible to the public. Criticism and animal welfare laws forced many to close, although hundreds still exist around the world. In the United States, the best known are the SeaWorld marine mammal parks.
In the Middle East the best known are Dolphin Bay at Atlantis, The Palm[153] and the Dubai Dolphinarium.[154]

text: Various species of dolphins are kept in captivity. These small cetaceans are more often than not kept in theme parks, such as SeaWorld, commonly known as a dolphinarium. Bottlenose dolphins are the most common species of dolphin kept in dolphinariums as they are relatively easy to train, have a long lifespan in captivity and have a friendly appearance. Hundreds if not thousands of bottlenose dolphins live in captivity across the world, though exact numbers are hard to determine. Other species kept in captivity are spotted dolphins, false killer whales and common dolphins, Commerson's dolphins, as well as rough-toothed dolphins, but all in much lower numbers than the bottlenose dolphin. There are also fewer than ten pilot whales, Amazon river dolphins, Risso's dolphins, spinner dolphins, or tucuxi in captivity.[155] An unusual and very rare hybrid dolphin, known as a wolphin, is kept at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii, which is a cross between a bottlenose dolphin and a false killer whale.[156]

text: The number of killer whales kept in captivity is very small, especially when compared to the number of bottlenose dolphins, with 60 captive killer whales being held in aquaria as of  2017[update].[157] The killer whale's intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size have made it a popular exhibit at aquaria and aquatic theme parks. From 1976 to 1997, 55 whales were taken from the wild in Iceland, 19 from Japan, and three from Argentina. These figures exclude animals that died during capture. Live captures fell dramatically in the 1990s, and by 1999, about 40% of the 48 animals on display in the world were captive-born.[158]

text: Organizations such as the Mote Marine Laboratory rescue and rehabilitate sick, wounded, stranded or orphaned dolphins while others, such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society, work on dolphin conservation and welfare. India has declared the dolphin as its national aquatic animal in an attempt to protect the endangered Ganges River Dolphin. The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary has been created in the Ganges river for the protection of the animals.[159]

text: Controversy

text: There is debate over the welfare of cetaceans in captivity, and often welfare can vary greatly dependent on the levels of care being provided at a particular facility. In the United States, facilities are regularly inspected by federal agencies to ensure that a high standard of welfare is maintained.[citation needed] Additionally, facilities can apply to become accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums(AZA), which (for accreditation) requires "the highest standards of animal care and welfare in the world" to be achieved. Facilities such as SeaWorld and the Georgia Aquarium are accredited by the AZA. Organizations such as World Animal Protection and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society campaign against the practice of keeping them in captivity. In captivity, they often develop pathologies, such as the dorsal fin collapse seen in 60–90% of male killer whales. Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s, although there are examples of killer whales living longer, including several over 30 years old, and two captive orcas, Corky II and Lolita, are in their mid-40s. In the wild, females who survive infancy live 46 years on average, and up to 70–80 years in rare cases. Wild males who survive infancy live 31 years on average, and up to 50–60 years.[160] Captivity usually bears little resemblance to wild habitat, and captive whales' social groups are foreign to those found in the wild. Critics claim captive life is stressful due to these factors and the requirement to perform circus tricks that are not part of wild killer whale behavior. Wild killer whales may travel up to 160 kilometres (100 mi) in a day, and critics say the animals are too big and intelligent to be suitable for captivity.[161] Captives occasionally act aggressively towards themselves, their tankmates, or humans, which critics say is a result of stress.[162]

text: Although dolphins generally interact well with humans, some attacks have occurred, most of them resulting in small injuries.[163] Orcas, the largest species of dolphin, have been involved in fatal attacks on humans in captivity. The record-holder of documented orca fatal attacks is a male named Tilikum, who has lived at SeaWorld since 1992.[164][165][166] Tilikum has played a role in the death of three people in three different incidents (1991, 1999 and 2010).[167] Tilikum's behaviour sparked the production of the documentary Blackfish, which focuses on the consequences of keeping orcas in captivity. There are documented incidents in the wild, too, but none of them fatal.[168]

text: Fatal attacks from other species are less common, but there is a registered occurrence off the coast of Brazil in 1994, when a man died after being attacked by a bottlenose dolphin named Tião.[169][170] Tião had suffered harassment by human visitors, including attempts to stick ice cream sticks down her blowhole.[171] Non-fatal incidents occur more frequently, both in the wild and in captivity.

text: While dolphin attacks occur far less frequently than attacks by other sea animals, such as sharks, some scientists are worried about the careless programs of human-dolphin interaction. Dr. Andrew J. Read, a biologist at the Duke University Marine Laboratory who studies dolphin attacks, points out that dolphins are large and wild predators, so people should be more careful when they interact with them.[163]

text: Several scientists who have researched dolphin behaviour have proposed that dolphins' unusually high intelligence in comparison to other animals means that dolphins should be seen as non-human persons who should have their own specific rights and that it is morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purposes or to kill them either intentionally for consumption or unintentionally as by-catch.[172][173] Four countries – Chile, Costa Rica, Hungary, and India – have declared dolphins to be "non-human persons" and have banned the capture and import of live dolphins for entertainment.[174][175]

text: Military

text: A military dolphin is a dolphin trained for military uses. A number of militaries have employed dolphins for various purposes from finding mines to rescuing lost or trapped humans. The military use of dolphins, however, drew scrutiny during the Vietnam War when rumors circulated that the United States Navy was training dolphins to kill Vietnamese divers.[176] The United States Navy denies that at any point dolphins were trained for combat. Dolphins are still being trained by the United States Navy for other tasks as part of the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program. The Russian military is believed to have closed its marine mammal program in the early 1990s. In 2000 the press reported that dolphins trained to kill by the Soviet Navy had been sold to Iran.[177]

text: Therapy

text: Dolphins are an increasingly popular choice of animal-assisted therapy for psychological problems and developmental disabilities. For example, a 2005 study found dolphins an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression.[178] However, this study was criticized on several grounds. For example, it is not known whether dolphins are more effective than common pets.[179] Reviews of this and other published dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) studies have found important methodological flaws and have concluded that there is no compelling scientific evidence that DAT is a legitimate therapy or that it affords more than fleeting mood improvement.[180]

text: Consumption

text: Cuisine

text:
In some parts of the world, such as Taiji, Japan and the Faroe Islands, dolphins are traditionally considered as food, and are killed in harpoon or drive hunts.[181]
Dolphin meat is consumed in a small number of countries worldwide, which include Japan[182] and Peru (where it is referred to as chancho marino, or "sea pork").[183] While Japan may be the best-known and most controversial example, only a very small minority of the population has ever sampled it.

text: Dolphin meat is dense and such a dark shade of red as to appear black. Fat is located in a layer of blubber between the meat and the skin. When dolphin meat is eaten in Japan, it is often cut into thin strips and eaten raw as sashimi, garnished with onion and either horseradish or grated garlic, much as with sashimi of whale or horse meat (basashi). When cooked, dolphin meat is cut into bite-size cubes and then batter-fried or simmered in a miso sauce with vegetables. Cooked dolphin meat has a flavor very similar to beef liver.[184]

text: Health concerns

text: There have been human health concerns associated with the consumption of dolphin meat in Japan after tests showed that dolphin meat contained high levels of mercury.[185] There are no known cases of mercury poisoning as a result of consuming dolphin meat, though the government continues to monitor people in areas where dolphin meat consumption is high. The Japanese government recommends that children and pregnant women avoid eating dolphin meat on a regular basis.[186]

text: Similar concerns exist with the consumption of dolphin meat in the Faroe Islands, where prenatal exposure to methylmercury and PCBs primarily from the consumption of pilot whale meat has resulted in neuropsychological deficits amongst children.[185]

text: The Faroe Islands population was exposed to methylmercury largely from contaminated pilot whale meat, which contained very high levels of about 2 mg methylmercury/kg. However, the Faroe Islands populations also eat significant numbers of fish. The study of about 900 Faroese children showed that prenatal exposure to methylmercury resulted in neuropsychological deficits at 7 years of age