Sunday, February 20, 2011

...in the navy!

WOW! did you know dolphins and sea lions are in the navy! yep! theyre helping fight terror all over the world and watching the coasts and helping do lots of other neat stuff. they been at it from way back in the 1960s in the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program.

how do they get trained
it takes 4 years to get dolphins and sea lions trained and 5 weeks to get a navy handler trained. mostly the training gets done in san diego california. first they learn how to “breach” and thats jump back in the boat or on the dock on a signal. they get started in the shallow water and when they know what theyre sposed to do they keep going deeper and deeper. after that they get trained on lots of other stuff. they get rewarded with food and lots of attention and a good home. they wear harnesses with cameras and pingers but not tethers and could swim away any time they want but they know a good thing when they got it and not one ever swam away. theyre real smart, got great underwater senses and learn real easy. theyre good divers and could go down more times in a row than a navy diver and could go faster and more deep than a navy diver and find and mark or bring back stuff lots faster.

what do they learn how to do
mostly theyre trained for finding and marking or bringing back stuff like mines and equipment. theyre part of the navys ORT and that’s Object Recovery Team. other stuff they do is carry parts and tools back and forth for building stuff and find lost divers and lead them back to safety. they get used as sentries for harbors and ships to find enemy swimmers and when theyre on patrol they carry locators in their mouth. when they spot a enemy diver a dolphin bumps his tank with his mouth and that puts a thing on his air tank thats got a float that floats up to the surface. a sea lion zaps a handcuff on the divers arm or leg and its got a float that goes up to the surface. cause sea lions could see lots better than dolphins in cloudy water they get used lots for patrolling round piers and pilings looking for bombs or enemy swimmers or stuff thats not sposed to be there.

how do they get transported
the navys got special designed carriers that could go on ships, boats on the road, in airplanes and in helicopters. theyre made so the dolphins and sea lions stay safe and wet for just as far as they gotta travel. they could get to any place that needs them in just only 72 hours. they been used for mine clearing in the vietnam war and in the persian gulf in the iraq war.

who takes care of them
the u.s. army vets take really good care of the dolphins and sea lions and they got some of the most best equipment and high tech medical stuff. they go along with the navy on all the training and the for real missions so they could be there if a dolphin or sea lion needs some vet stuff. they make sure they get good food and the best care.

cool video
if you wanna see a really neat video about dolphins and sea lions being in the navy and see them getting trained and working go here.

question
how do you like knowing you got dolphins and sea lions helping protect you? for me i say WOW! how cool is that!

hooray for dolphins! hooray for sea lions!

…hugs from lenny

36 comments:

  1. Thanks for some really cool facts. I had no idea! I love dolphins even more now!

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  2. Wow, that's some cool information, Lenny! Some of those dolphins and sea lions were really old! I had no idea that the Navy was using them to patrol the harbors. Great post!!!

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  3. I'd put more faith in those dolphins and sea lions than some people. (Although I have every amount of respect for those in our armed services.)

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  4. Wow, it feels like you wrote this post just for me, Lenny! I LOVE dolphins. They're soooo cool. Did you know that dolphins save sailors and fishermen? I heard that when a sailor is shipwrecked, a dolphin will help him! They also save people from sharks. Really cool, huh?
    I've always wanting to go swimming with dolphins. Combining two of my favorite things would be so awesome!
    Double Hugs right back!

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  5. I knew dolphins were in the navy. I didn't know about the sea lions. Wow, thanks for the way cool info!!!

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  6. Lenny, that is so awesome! I know that dolphins are smart, but I didn't know that sea lions were, too! And I didn't know the Navy and the Marines were using dolphins and sea lions for such complicated work! Wow -- you must have done a lot of research to get this information. Great job!

    You are such a good writer! I wish I could get the students in my class to write as well as you do!

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  7. It's amazing how smart and useful dolphins are, isn't it? I didn'!t know that sea lions are in the Navy too! Wow, that's so cool.

    Jai

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  8. That's pretty cool. I love dolphins. They're so smart.

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  9. wow, this is really neat. i'm going to have my son read about this. he loves sea creatures.
    miss clarissa

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  10. How cool! As long as the dolphins and sea lions are happy doing their jobs, I'm glad they're helping us. :)

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  11. Great job on an excellent post, Lenny! I think it's amazing that these dolphins and sea lions are helping to protect us. (And I think we're really lucky to have them too!)

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  12. What a cool post, Lenny. Thanks for sharing these interesting facts. Have a great week!
    : )

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  13. OOPS! Forgot to say, thanks for sharing the cool pictures, too!
    : )

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  14. That is so very cool! This is a job I would have loved to do - work with dolphins and sea lions (and whales!) to figure out their intelligence and build better relationships between our species. Thanks for the info! :)

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  15. I've read and heard a lot about dolphin intelligence and trainability, but sea lions? I must admit, that caught me by surprise. I had no idea they were that smart and easy to train. Very cool post, Lenny.

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  16. What's that movie the suggests that dolpins are really super-smart aliens? :) (it will come to me...) It is pretty fascinating what they can teach animals to do! Cool info, Lenny. Thanks!

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  17. This is so cool! I had no idea the navy was using dolphins and sea lions. Thanks for the info, Lenny!! :-)

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  18. You really do have some very interesting posts, Lenny. I had no idea that sea lions an' dolphins were on the job for us. Its amazing how many ways animals help people. I am definitely impressed by your skills at researching an' sharing what you learn. Thanks for another great post. You're the best!

    ~ Yaya

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  19. Super information, Lenny. I'm from the keys and didn't really know this. Besides horses, sea lions, sharks, dolphins and porpoises are my favorite animals. Sea lions are so very cool. If you run into one you can pet it. They LOVE us humans. :)

    You taught me something today. THANKS,Lenny. Lots of hugs and loves. :)

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  20. Hooray for dolphins and sea lions! I had no idea they work for the navy - how cool! Thanks for a very interesting post, Lenny.

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  21. Hi Lenny .. your love of life and dolphins and sea lions shines through loud and clear .. gosh your wonderment - & mine!! Good to know about - I knew about the dogs tackling drugs and looking for people in earthquake cities etc .. but now I know about the seas .. amazing creatures.

    Good for you - thanks for telling us .. Hilary

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  22. They are so awesome! I had no idea they were doing that. That is just too cool! =D

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  23. That is so awesome! Dolphins are amazingly smart animals. Just reading your cool report on them, makes me want to write a story about them!! I mean, how many cool stories could the dolphins tell us, if they could talk? :)

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  24. Wow is right!! Interesting...

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  25. Aren't they just amazing? Great post Lenny!

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  26. I think a sea lion would look really good in my bathtub.

    Possibly I might need a bigger bathtub.

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  27. I recently read about this (but not in so much detail) in my 6 yo's book on dolphins. I'll have to show her the video tonight. She'll love it. :D

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  28. Hey Lenny!
    Wow, awesome information about dolphins and sea lions. It is so good that these really smart creatures are helping protect us. Neat stuff, Lenny!
    Hugs and smiles, Mr. Gary and Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star :-)

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  29. Hey, Lenny! Thanks for the happy birthday/blogversary wishes!

    Hope you're having a great week!

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  30. Great post Lenny. Thanks for sharing. I love dolphins. I have a whole chapter on dolphins in my novel, The Greek Seaman. I was amazed to see white dolphines. Yes, they warn you of danger. I now live in Florida by the beach and its so cool watching them daily follow the propellers of a tourist speed boat that's out dolphin spotting. Sometimes they come in real close to the sand when chasing some fish too.

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  31. yay for the dolphins and seals!!!!! Hi lenny and ummmm you seem real nice :)

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  32. Wow, I did not know this! Thanks for sharing, Lenny--this is very neat!

    Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse

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  33. I agree with you, Lenny, that's very cool! Thank you for sharing all the information. It's really interesting and a great post.

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  34. Lenny, I had no idea. This post reminds me of your Italian rescue dogs. It's amazing what some animals can do. For instance, my cat is a fantastic napper. Think there's a job for her?

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