I never knew just how special these critters were until I read this article at Listverse. Some absolutely wonderful talents, that's for sure!
Skin
Why aren’t dolphins covered in barnacles? Whales are coated in the things, but the dolphin family seem to be immune. Look at Flipper or Shamu (killer whales are just big dolphins by the way): They’re clean and glassy smooth. So what’s their secret? Super skin.
Dolphin’s unique skin gives them all kinds of advantages. To start, while their epidermis is no tougher than ours, it is about 10 to 20 times thicker than any land animal. It also grows about nine times faster than ours. An entire layer of skin is replaced every two hours. This rapid skin regeneration helps to keep dolphins smooth, silky, and hydrodynamic. Dolphins also have microscopic ripples in their skin, which help them travel faster through the water and prevent parasites from grabbing hold. But the real secret of why dolphins are so clean is that they secrete a special gel, which resists the mucus that barnacles and their ilk cling on with. So dolphins are covered in some sort of natural glue solvent. Even if something does find a way to latch on, this dolphin grease also contains enzymes that attack parasites.
Pretty interesting, don't you think? There are plenty more special attributes of these dolphins that you can read about if you go to Listverse and read about them!
I reckon we can have coffee out on the patio again. I have some macaroons I'll share!
