The dusky dolphin is a small cetacean that belongs to the Delphinidae family and the genus Lagenorhynchus, which also includes other five species.

It has a distribution limited to the southern hemisphere of the planet, with subpopulations scattered throughout the southeast and southwest Atlantic and Pacific oceans, including waters of Tasmania, southern Australia, New Zealand, the Chatham and Campbell Islands, South America and the Falkland Islands.

It also dwells around oceanic islands such as Tristan da Cunha, a British archipelago in the South Atlantic. Some of the countries that have dusky dolphins in their waters are Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Peru and South Africa.

They sometimes stay close to bottlenose dolphins, but there is no evidence of interaction between the two species, unlike Risso dolphins, with whom they share feeding areas or with common dolphins that show some social contact.

This dolphin stays close to the coast, but unlike others, the coasts where they inhabit do not have warm waters. It is common to observe this cetacean on continental platforms and slopes where the waters are cold, and the currents have low temperatures, more or less of 10 to 18 Celsius degrees. The observed range of this species suggests that it limits to depths less than 200 meters and about 200 nautical miles away from the coast.

Its range of distribution goes hand in hand with the habitat that can provide them a great abundance of prey, among which is the anchovy that is found very close to the surface in shallow waters, and benthic creatures such as squids, hake and various types of fishes.

The cold habitat in which it lives does not deter humans from harming this species. Years ago, its capture was very constant in New Zealand, Peru and Chile mainly. Now, this has diminished, but its population situation, and therefore, its current state of conservation, is unknown.

Bottlenose dolphins are present in most oceans and seas of the world and adapt quickly to several types of habitat.

Their thermoregulation capacity allows them to live in waters ranging from 10 to 32 degrees Celsius, which includes temperate, tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, as well as the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea between Europe and Asia. The regions that avoid are the polar zones, but some individuals move through the north of Europe, whose waters have low temperatures.

In the Pacific, their distribution range is from northern Japan to Australia and from southern California to Chile in the eastern Pacific Ocean including all the vast area in the middle.

In the Atlantic ocean, they dwell from Nova Scotia to Patagonia in the West and from Norway to South Africa in the East including all the eastern coast of the United States, and the Gulf of Mexico.

Bottlenose dolphin habitat includes bays, open waters, coastal areas, lagoons, estuaries, tidal areas and shallow areas. They even venture occasionally into some rivers.

The other bottlenose species, the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, is also distributed in tropical and subtropical areas in specific regions of the ocean. This dolphin inhabits from western South Africa to Japan, including eastern and western Australia and places such as the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Solomon Islands and the Indo-Malay archipelago.

The Indo-Pacific dolphin lives near the coasts of continental shelves, at depths of less than 300 meters and around oceanic islands. It frequently visits estuaries and coral reefs where fish banks thrive, and a significant amount of cephalopods live. Therefore it tolerates salt water and brackish waters.

In the vast ocean, all creatures are vulnerable. Bottlenose dolphins are cetaceans that rarely become prey, thanks to their size, their intelligence, the use of echolocation and their level of socialization that gives them a significant advantage by staying in groups and intimidating their opponent. However, two predators will take the smallest opportunities to feed on dolphins: killer whales and sharks.

We know that the killer whales are expert hunters, especially when they hunt in organized groups. Although there are few documented cases, these animals that are the world’s largest dolphins, attack other species of smaller dolphins, mainly young, newborn or sick. To do it they separate the mother from the calf, making impossible to the latter defend its offspring.

However, a group of orcas does not feel intimidated by a large pod of dolphins. Although there are no records of this kind of attack to bottlenose dolphins, there are videos where a pod of killer whales approaches aggressively to groups of dolphins of other species, and as if they were seals, they beat them and throw them into the air until they are stunned and finally feed on them. Several types of dolphins suffer this kind of aggression, and the bottlenose dolphins are likely part of this list.

Regarding sharks, the most dangerous species for members of the genus Tursiops are the largest: tiger shark, sand shark, bull shark and, of course, the great white shark. It is not uncommon to observe dolphins with scars from shark attacks, which means they are not easy prey and their escape techniques often help them survive.

A study conducted in Shark Bay, Western Australia, revealed that 95 of 128 bottlenose dolphins analyzed showed scars from shark bites, mostly from tiger sharks. The frequency of new body marks and the high attack rates suggest that bottlenose dolphins are at risk in this locality more than in other parts of the world.

A few cases with rays are known. Although they are not dolphin predators because they have a diet based on small fish, mollusks, and plankton, the trauma and infections they cause with the sharp edges of their tail sometimes become deadly.

Indeed dolphins and all cetaceans like whales and porpoises evolved from animals that lived, reproduced and died on land. In fact, their closest relative alive is the hippopotamus, which in turn also relates them to the artiodactyls.

The common ancestor of dolphins and hippos is an animal called Pakicetus that roamed the Earth about 50 million years ago. Pakicetus had a four-leg functional anatomy, elongated snout, flexible neck and a very long tail, morphology that laid the foundation for the subsequent appearance of cetaceans.

Millions of years later, creatures like Ambulocetus and Kutchicetus emerged with body characteristics increasingly adapted to the marine world.

While the former is the commonly accepted theory, others suggest that cetaceans descend from the Mesonikia, prehistoric animals that lived on Earth about 55 million years ago. Its appearance was similar to that of a tiger, and the evolutionary change began while searching for food in the disappeared sea of ​​Thetis.

The explanations about the evolution of dolphins are:

One. The scarcity of food on land forced some coastal populations to venture into the ocean for food, which gradually adapted their anatomy to their new habitat.

Two. The other theory has to do with the climatic changes of the era, which forced them to enter the water to get a convenient place with satisfactory temperature and abundant food.

Visible evidence.

Several indicators confirm that dolphins evolved from terrestrial animals, and these are the most evident:

1. They have a robust bone structure rather than a cartilaginous skeleton like sharks or fish.

2. They are mammals because they feed their young with breast milk from the mother.

3. Dolphins breathe air like us. They can not breathe underwater like fish because they have lungs instead of gills.

4. Dolphins have vestigial bones that once were legs and pelvic bones where they were attached.

5. These cetaceans are warm-blooded.

Even that some scientists still debate about the dolphin ancestors and their relation with other species, there are enough probes to confirm that these cetaceans undoubtedly descend from terrestrial animals.

Think for a moment: where is your garbage going? Where is your residual water going? What is your pollution footprint on the planet?

Do you know that some dolphin species are in danger of extinction? Although it seems obvious because there is a long list of animals which are in such condition, the truth is that many people ignore the critical preservation condition in which many dolphin species are.

Dolphins live in an environment in which threats from predators, although rare, are possible. Thanks to their complex social structure and their sense of echolocation, they can usually circumvent the risks that killer whales (even though these are dolphins) and sharks represent, however, the human activities have had a powerful impact on these animals.

Yes, some of the cute and friendly dolphins are in danger of extinction and others go the same way if we do not act now. And yes, it is humanity who must act because they have the greatest responsibility in the situation. Do you help protect dolphins?

About ten species of dolphins are in a severe danger of extinction.

STEPS TO THE END

According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), all species have a level of danger or conservation. This organization makes this assessment classifying animals after a study that reveals their status on the planet and ranks them in one of the categories: Not Evaluated, Data deficient, Least Concern, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in Wild and Extinct.

An animal is in danger if it has a classification in the Red List starting from the Vulnerable category. However, the first two categories are also worrying, since ignorance implies the lack of actions, that is, if a species classification is Data Deficient, could be threatened, but we just do not know it, and there are not strategies to preserve it.

SOME DOLPHINS FALLING IN THIS STATUS ARE:

– Commerson’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii). Data Deficient.
– Heaviside’s (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii). Data Deficient.
– Long-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus capensis). Data Deficient.
– Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene). Data Deficient.
– Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis). Data Deficient.

For its part, the Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) it is the only one that does not have any classification.

SEVERELY THREATENED DOLPHINS

About ten species of dolphins are at serious risk. The number seems small, but we must take into account that the number of species of dolphins is around 43, so we are close to 25%. One of every four species of dolphins is close to extinction.

A particular case is the Baiji or Chinese river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), a species that inhabited only the Yangtze River in China. For a long time, the population gradually reduced as result of pollution and bycatch, and nobody took action, and when a river inspection was carried out in 2006, the researchers did not find a single dolphin.

As result of this investigation the species Lipotes vexillifer was declared to be functionally extinct, and although probably there were only a few specimens not seen by scientists at that time, the species will not be able to recover. In 2007 there was a report of a sighting, but although there is no confirmation of this, it is possible that there are a few river dolphins alive yet.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the most threatened dolphins are:

– Baiji or Chinese river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer). Critically Endangered.
– Hector’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori). Endangered.
– Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and Indus River dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor). Both Endangered.
– Chilean dolphin (Cephalorhynchus eutropia). Near Threatened.
– Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella Heinsohni). Near Threatened.
– Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis). Near Threatened.
Sousa chinensis includes the subspecies Sousa chinensis chinensis and Sousa chinensis plumbea.
– Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (Sousa teuszii). Vulnerable.
– La Plata dolphin (Pointporia blainvillei). Vulnerable.
– Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). Vulnerable.

As can be seen, there are several river dolphins in the list, which is a major problem for their recovery, as their distribution is very limited, the rivers are more polluted than the ocean, and river populations are usually smaller than the oceanic ones.

THE FUTURE OF THREATENED DOLPHINS

This scenario should not be underestimated. The rate of exploitation and reduction of the populations is no longer sustainable, and if some other dolphin species get extinct, this will create imbalances in the food chain, as these animals are at the top of the chain.

Some dolphins have an uncertain future, but the positive side of all this is that there are people concerned and not only that but also working actively to protect these animals. If you want to know the specific strategies implemented to attack the problem, visit the Dolphins conservation strategies article.

THREATS AND DANGERS TO DOLPHIN SURVIVAL.

Wild dolphins face some natural dangers in the ocean. However, the most overwhelming threats to their existence are the consequences of human activities.

Some dolphin species are in danger of becoming extinct, and alarming statistics suggest that illegal dynamite fishing, entanglement in fishing nets, collisions with boats and propellers, marine pollution, disease and beaching due to sonar interference, kill an increasing number of dolphins every year.

Research suggests that over 95% of dolphin deaths are directly attributable to anthropogenic causes.

SOME OF THE DOLPHIN THREATS RELATED TO MAN ARE:

INCREASING CAPTIVITY

The capture of dolphins for research and entertainment is contributing to their mortality at an alarming rate. Conservationists insist that the capture process itself is resulting in more deaths and the transportation, the exposure to diseases in captivity tanks, are added dangers that dolphins have to face when extracted from their natural environment.

The increased popularity of swimming with dolphins programs have brought more dolphins into captivity.

UNSTOPPABLE CHEMICAL POLLUTION

Another threat to dolphins in the wild is the contamination of their natural habitat from oil, chemical and heavy metal pollutants which cause them illness and higher infant mortality rates.

Since dolphins are at the top of the food chain, the impact of contamination on them is even higher as they eat fish and animals contaminated in different places.

NOISE POLLUTION.

Noise pollution is also a dangerous threat to dolphins in the wild.
Activities like oil drilling, navigational sonars, and even ship engines create continuous streams of underwater sounds that can disorient or even damage their hearing capabilities.

SEA TRAFFIC

Another cause of death are the injuries suffered by the entanglement in cages, shark safety nets and fishing nets as well as collisions with ships and propellers.

The increasing maritime traffic produces this kind of inconvenience for all the marine life.

NATURAL CAUSES.

In addition to anthropogenic threats, wild dolphins are also victims of predators. Regardless they are at the top of the food chain. Still, they have to compete with sharks and larger toothed whales for food.

The effect of Global Warming or seasonal weather changes has reduced their food sources, impacting the survival of dolphins in the wild.

References

Erich Hoyt. Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises: A World Handbook for Cetacean Habitat Conservation and Planning. Routledge, 2012.

seethewild.org/dolphin-threats/

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/sep/28/hectors-dolphins-near-extinction

Judith S Weis. Physiological, Developmental and Behavioral Effects of Marine Pollution. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.

Judith S. Weis. Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2015.

]]> https://www.dolphins-world.com/dolphins-rescuing-humans/ Thu, 27 Apr 2017 05:31:02 +0000 http://www.dolphins-world.com/?p=146 If you’ve heard a story about dolphins rescuing a person at the ocean, you’re not the only one. For thousands of years, dolphins have interacted with humans in several ways that most animals do not. For example, what other animal helps fishers do their job? The intelligence of these cetaceans, highly developed and similar in some aspects to that of humans, places them in a position that no other species have.

A quick glance in the media shows a considerable amount of people who claims to have lived an incredible experience, in which a dolphin or a group of dolphins saves them from the danger that the sea involves, even without realizing it. Do you want to know some?

Why saving humans if they are different species? There are some theories.

A FEW STORIES

In 2002, a 36-year-old Australian man named Grant Dickson was fishing in northern Queensland along with other people. Hours later the vessel collapsed in the water, and Dickson found himself alone in the middle of the ocean, holding only to the remainings of the boat. He had some wounds bleeding profusely, and with horror, he discovered a group of sharks swimming around him. However, he watched with amazement how a pod of dolphins began to circle him, scaring away the sharks they might have attacked them by confusing his legs with some prey because of the blood. In the end, Grant Dickson was rescued safe and sound.

In 2004, a group of lifeguards and a young woman from New Zealand were training at sea when a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) about 3 meters in length suddenly appeared in front of them. But fortunately soon a small pod of dolphins arrived surrounding the group and the woman. They waved their tails and created lots of noise to dissuade the shark from attack them until it decided to go away.

Todd Endris, a 24-year-old surfer, was practicing his favorite sport on August 28, 2007. He could not imagine that moments later a great white shark was going to wallop him and then gave him two severe bites. The terrified young man saw his death close when suddenly about 15 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) appeared and surrounded him to form a barrier between him and the shark. This protection allowed Todd to get safely to the shore, although with severe wounds from what he later recovered.

Hardy Jones is a wildlife activist. In 2003 he was filming a pod of dolphins when he realized that a shark approached him. Maybe he would have to get attacked if four dolphins had not approached to protect him.

In 2004, five British scuba divers were adrift in the Red Sea with no more company than the animals around. They feared dying right there until a boat rescued them. They believe that dolphins deserve their gratitude since the crew of the rescuing boat said they saw a group of these cetaceans swimming in the direction of divers, probably to draw attention to that place.

WHY DO DOLPHINS RESCUE PEOPLE?

Dolphins show behaviors at times similar to that of humans. In the wild they usually help the sick pod mates, supporting them to reach the surface so they can breathe. Females are loving mothers devoted to their offspring while they feed on breast milk and even long time after weaning.

But, why do dolphins save humans, if they are a different species? Many theories exists that try to explain the reason, but until now none is widely accepted.

Researchers think that sometimes the relationship between humans and dolphins have nothing to do with empathy and rather it is a symbiotic relationship of help-reward. A sample of this is the case of dolphins which help fishers to find fish or other prey since, in the end, these cetaceans receive a portion of the fish obtained. The question here is why did they begin to do this if no one taught them?

The act of defending humans from an animal that can attack them, like sharks, is similar to the behavior of mothers protecting their offspring. Many disabled swimmers or divers claim that were held and transported to the surface with the aid of a dolphin, action used with other cetaceans.

Another explanation may be related to the comparison between body characteristics of dolphins and humans since both are intelligent mammals. Thanks to its sense of echolocation, a dolphin can hear the heartbeat and realize when a person is helpless. It is the moment when they act as they would do it with a mate.

There are only two cetacean attacks on record against people, one from a killer whale that confused a surfboard for a seal and the other by a cranky dolphin mother who had just given birth and its calf was taken away from her.

DOLPHIN HEROES

In Greek and old sea stories, there are dozens of claims of dolphins helping drowning sailors, rescuing people from sharks, and making themselves useful as guides through treacherous waters.

Dolphins and other cetaceans also help injured members of their family groups and newborn babies to the surface by swimming under them and nudging upward, just as some reports describe them doing with humans. Interestingly, there are some real stories of dolphins helping other cetaceans. In 1983 at Tokerau Beach, Northland, New Zealand, a pod of pilot whales ran aground during ebb tide. The Zealanders who lived there came out and did their best to keep the whales alive, sponging their skin and calming them, until the tide came back in. But even then the whales were having trouble orienting themselves.

Dolphins came to the rescue. Somehow, a pod of dolphins who were nearby figured out what was happening. They swam into the shallows, putting themselves at risk, and “herded” the pilot whales out to sea, saving 76 of 80 whales. Five years earlier, a similar incident had occurred at Whangarei harbor. If dolphins are smart enough to help other cetaceans in that manner, why not humans.

OTHER CASES

Several years ago, in the Gulf of Akaba, a British tourist was rescued by three dolphins from sharks. Near the Sinai Peninsula, a ship captain had stopped his boat so several passengers could watch dolphins playing. Three of the passengers decided to swim with them, and one stayed a little longer than the others. To his horror, he was bitten by a shark – and more were coming. Suddenly, three dolphins placed themselves between the tourist and the sharks, smacking the water with their tails and flippers, driving the sharks off until the crew rescued the man.

In 2004, a ten-foot great white shark confronted a group of swimmers off the northern coast of new Zealand. A pod of dolphins “herded” them together, circling them until the great white fled. There are several other examples from the area of Australia about similar incidences.

In another case in the Red Sea, twelve divers lost for thirteen and a half hours were surrounded by dolphins for the entire time, repelling the many sharks that live in the area. When a rescue boat appeared, it seemed that the dolphins were showing them where the divers were, leaping in the air in front of them.

As we can’t talk to dolphins, we can’t understand what their motives are in these situations. It is, however, very possible that they are indeed trying to help and protect fellow mammals in the ocean to safety. If this is true, it means that they are the only animals, besides humans, which show true altruism.

References

http://www.afd.org.au/images-and-videos/extraordinary-stories/mans-real-best-friend-stories-of-dolphins-rescuing-humans

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/nov/24/internationalnews

When the man appeared on Earth, dolphins had been inhabiting the oceans for thousands of years. Naturally, humans began to interact with other creatures in their environment including dolphins, laying the foundations of a relationship that has endured until today but with different forms of interaction.

In other words, man’s relationship with dolphins goes far beyond observation and occasional contact. It involves close interactions, associations and even scientific studies that try to unravel the secrets of an animal that has been considered one of the most intelligent in the world.

Formerly, relationships with dolphins were in their natural habitat, but now, with technological advances, humans have the power to keep them captive in environments similar to their habitats. However, advanced research always tries to observe animals in the wild as their behavior changes when they are in captivity.

Repeated observations proved that dolphins usually approach pregnant women carefully, as they hear the beating of two hearts.

The relationships between dolphins and humans can be fascinating, and they can occur both in the wild and in captivity. In the wild, some dolphins have been seen rounding up schools of fish to indicate to the fishermen where to place their nets. There are also amazing stories of dolphins coming to the rescue of divers or boaters that have experienced troubles.

In captivity, the continuous interaction between dolphins and humans for training or research or the contact for physical and emotional therapy create strong bonds with the dolphins.

RELATIONSHIP WITH DOLPHINS IN THE WILD

It seems that the human connection with dolphins dates back far into ancient times as there are plenty of markings and old artwork that depict these animals. Some civilizations believed to be a spiritual connection between the gods and humans.

The frescos of dolphins in the palace of the ancient city of Knossos in Crete give us an idea of ​​the familiarity between this species and the Islanders. Many species of dolphins are now believed to capture their food in association with fishers: they may follow dolphins to catch fish of a particular species, or even dolphins show them where to lay their nets to find some marine animals.

Some people claim that dolphins have rescued divers or swimmers who are in trouble by helping them to reach the surface, just as they do with their injured mates. On the Internet, there is a recent video where you can see how a dolphin, trapped in a net, seems to “ask” for help to a Scuba diver to get free.

In 2013, a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was stranded on the coast of Australia and was assisted to return to the sea, but now the dolphin has been seen approaching the swimmers and playing with them. People does not show fear to Dolphins as they have a reputation for being friendly, charming and benevolent with humans. However, there are differences between the dolphins that are in captivity and those in the wild, since their encounters with people are occasional.

RELATIONSHIP WITH DOLPHINS IN CAPTIVITY

There are multiple reasons to keep dolphins in captivity, according to humans. These dolphins live day-to-day with people either in water parks, aquariums, reserves or similar places. At water parks, they are trained to perform several acrobatic tricks that use their natural ability for the enjoyment of an audience that goes to see them in a show or to swim with them.

At present, the so-called dolphin-assisted therapy, a type of treatment that uses animals as a therapist for people with some physical or emotional condition, is in vogue, under the argument that the relationship is beneficial for the health improvement of the patient.

Other human interactions with dolphins are frequent during the observation or research of populations in the wild or specimens in captivity. These studies, investigations, and experiments that have provided lots of information about the life of dolphins have been carried out in both scenarios with a varying degree of success. Among them, the studies to test their intelligence, performed using simple but ingenious experiments, have excelled.

In addition to the above, did you know that dolphins are part of the armed forces? Despite being a questionable activity, it is a fact that some armies train animals for some military purposes such as rescuing injured or trapped people.

We should not forget that one of the factors of the popularity of dolphins is due to the numerous times that they have appeared in cinema and television.

WHY DOLPHINS DEMONSTRATE GREATER TOLERANCE TO HUMANS THAN OTHER AQUATIC SPECIES?

Some people believe that dolphins have a particular predilection for humans given the continually positive interactions between them. They have rarely attacked a person. Instead, they have helped them often. The truth is that there is nothing to indicate that dolphins feel a particular empathy for the man since they have a highly developed social behavior and they behave the same way with other animals.

A study from the University of Kyoto (Japan) states that dolphins can see the world and solve problems in a similar way than humans do, so their feelings, so to speak, could also be analogous to that of the human species. The echolocation allows dolphins to know that a human is a living being and to understand when he is in trouble and when he need protection. That is why they usually approach pregnant women carefully since they hear the beating hearts of two persons.

DANGERS OF HUMAN-DOLPHIN INTERACTION

We must consider that although not usually aggressive, dolphins are not domesticated animals, and even if they were, they are as unpredictable as any other wild animal. On the other hand, there are some inherent dangers if we do not respect the distance between them and us, because of dolphins, like men, are sensitive and tend to suffer from stress, illness, and other diseases if the human being abuses its power.

Even though there is usually nothing but harmony when dolphins and humans interact, that isn’t always the outcome. Dolphins can be very aggressive if feel threatened or stressed or when other members of their pod are in danger. One strange incident was the attack in 2010 at SeaWorld by a dolphin, an orca called Tilikum, killing its trainer, Dawn Brancheau.

In 1994, a man in Brazil died when a Bottlenose Dolphin attacked him. Some believe that people continually harassed this dolphin, but nobody knows if it was the case at the time of the incident. Therefore, many experts though do caution people to be aware of what dolphins can do both in the wild and in captivity.

References

Diana Reiss. The Dolphin in the Mirror: Exploring Dolphin Minds and Saving Dolphin Lives. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

Karl Erik Fichtelius, Sverre Sjölander. Smarter Than Man?: Intelligence in Whales, Dolphins, and Humans. Pantheon Books, 1972.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/30/dolphins-like-humans-persecuting-orcas-culture-cull

Dolphins are often considered the second or third most intelligent animals after man. Research has yielded tons of information about its life, its social structure, and its development. Their sense of echolocation has fascinated scientists, who do not hesitate to study it to apply the same mechanism to technologies that facilitate human life and help to fulfill special purposes. But is this all that we can learn from dolphins?

Of course not. These amazing, intelligent mammals have some lessons to teach humans, lessons whose application represents a benefit in the personal and social life of man, now more concerned with the achievement of his work goals and individual recognition.

Close social bonds are better than a lonely life.
Dolphins maintain very close ties with their pod companions. They are highly sociable and do not hesitate to help each other. They are even able to remember many years after they last saw each other and aid to survive those who are sick. When humans imitate this behavior, it improves their mood, reduces stress and increases their chances of survival.

Dolphins are considered the second or third most intelligent animals after man.

Empathy is good.

Dolphins understand when a dolphin or a human being are vulnerable to some danger, and that is why they are believed to have come to the rescue. They do not just leave those who need help. Would not be wonderful if people always did the same? Empathy in humans, besides, allows the understanding of different ideas, tolerance, and respect.

Teamwork is power.

Most of these cetaceans cooperate to find food, care for the young and protect each other. Humans try most of the time exclusively their well-being, but working together with others, is a good way to increase everyone’s success and improve living conditions.

Creativity is important.

Dolphins have found ways to solve some difficulties, as many tests show: they use sponges to protect themselves from rough surfaces, mimic human movements and even communicate through a varied repertoire of sounds. If they can, anyone else can and not just the researchers.

Live without damaging the environment.

This aspect is perhaps the most important since our environment is degrading as people become unaware of their implications on Earth and their responsibilities in it. Dolphins live in an aquatic environment from which they use resources for their means, but do not cause damage. They use what they need.

LEARNING APPLIED TO TECHNOLOGY

The scientific and technological areas are the ones that have benefited most from all the information acquired from dolphins. Current trends focus on the application of echolocation both in technology and in people’s daily life for impaired people and in developing methods for protecting other species. It seems that too much is known, but the truth is that much remains to be discovered and to be learned yet, that is why scientists continue studying them.

EVEN MORE LEARNING FROM DOLPHINS

While dolphin research is still in its infancy, the wealth of information that we may one day glean from these magnificent creatures is unimaginable. One lesson that we can learn from them, however, could be a key to the survival of our civilization. In today’s hectic world, the dolphin community may just offer a few lessons that we should take the time to learn.

There’s a saying in our culture that suggests “it takes a village to raise a child.” In earlier times, our society often reflected this concept. Today, however, morals and values are almost nonexistent, and technology continues to contribute to the breakdown of our families, communities and our society as a whole. Dolphins, however, are cooperative and playful. Their communities or pods persist under dangerous conditions only because of the bonds and support the members offer to one another. In the world of the dolphin, members care for and protect each other. Dolphins are creatures of socialization just as we are.

As human beings, maybe it’s time that we take a look back at how we have evolved and consider instead returning to the way of the dolphin, rather than spreading farther and farther from each other, the answer to our problems is perhaps instead, to come closer. The pod concept that protects dolphins could very well be the ideal that could protect our families and our communities.

There is, in fact, a society that is seriously contemplating the concept of pod living. The Sirius Institute, in Hawaii, has developed a model human society based on pod living. According to their website, Sirius believes that the pod prototype can help us “restore our currently fragmented society,” living in a way that provides an environment where “humans can belong to something bigger than themselves and stand out for who they are and the contributions they make,” instead of what they possess.

The Sirius Pod model allows people to interact within their homes, neighborhoods and in some cases, worlds. The children living in this environment are raised together, very similar to the way dolphins raise their young. Sirius believes that their pod models are “islands of stability” where people can come together to grow and prosper.

While the Sirius model may seem a little vague and sounds very much like the lifestyle we already think we’re living, it would be a positive thing for each and every one of us to stop and consider what the important things are and why we’ve let them fall by the wayside.

If we can learn anything from dolphins, it could just very well be that we need to refocus our attention on how we’re living our lives and why.

Dolphins continue surviving against increasing odds. The intelligence level that these animals display and their ability to interact not only with their peer but to also in harmony with others is a lesson we should all learn.

DOLPHINS ARE CETACEANS

All dolphins belong to the cetacean infraorder which also includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

The Cetacea infraorder is broken down into two parvorders. The first is the Mysticeti, which is made up of Baleen Whales, a group that captures prey by straining water through a series of baleen plates in their mouths which act as filters to collect the food.

ODONTOCETI PARVORDER, THE TOOTHED CETACEANS.

The second parvorder in the Cetacea infraorder is the Odontoceti; a group made up of toothed whales which have several families and superfamilies.

The first family is the Ziphiidae, which is composed entirely of big toothed whales like the beaked whales, a group of deep divers, rarely seen by humans.

The second family in the Odontoceti parvorder is the Physeteridae, which includes only the Sperm Whale,

The third is the Kogiidae which includes the Pygmy Sperm Whale, and Dwarf Sperm Whale.

The fourth family is the Monodontidae family, which includes the Beluga Whale and the Narwhal.

The Superfamily Inioidea includes the four families of river dolphins, and all the species that dwell in freshwater belong to this group.

The Stenidae family, includes the Rough-Toothed Dolphin, Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Striped Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin, Short, Tucuxi, Guiana Dolphin, Chinese White Dolphin.

The Delphinidae family is made up of oceanic dolphins including:

The last family in the parvorder is the Phocoenidae family, which includes several species of porpoises like the Harbor Porpoise, Spectacled Porpoise, Black Porpoise, Black Finless Porpoise, Dall’s Porpoise, True’s Porpoise, Finless Porpoise, and Cochito Porpoise.

The name Dolphin comes from the word womb, and it is believed to be the Greek saying for fish with a womb.

DOLPHIN OR WHALE?

The largest dolphin species is the Orca, which is commonly known as the Killer Whale. These dolphins can be over 31 feet long when fully grown, a size which has provided them with the colloquial name of whales although they are dolphins.

There are all types of dolphins, some live in shallow waters near the coasts, but other prefer the high seas. Some fancy warm tropical waters while some species inhabit circumpolar regions. There are great differences among the species of dolphins, and that is why there are various genus and families.

In 2011, scientists discovered a new dolphin species in Big City Harbor around Australia. The novel dolphin got the colloquial name of Burrunan Dolphin and is believed to inhabit only two areas at this time. There are about 100 of them in Port Phillip Bay around Melbourne and about 50 more of them in the coastal lakes of Gippsland which is about 100 miles away.

The type of dolphin you will see in a given area depends on environmental factors such as food availability and the temperature. The time of year also is a factor due to the migrational patterns of most dolphins. Studies also indicate that there are differences among the species of dolphins regarding their skull size and form, variations that may lead to future taxonomical changes.

Young dolphins are called calves, and the female adults are cows. The male adults are bulls, and a group of them is called a pod.

Perhaps the most popular of all dolphins is the Bottlenose Dolphin; This is the species you often see in books, movies, and when you visit an aquarium. They are intelligent, easy to train, and they are more likely to approach humans in the wild than other species.

River Dolphins live in freshwater, and they inhabit some of these systems in South America and Asia. They are smaller than most oceanic dolphins, with an average size of about 8 feet when fully mature. They can be various colors including brown, gray, or pink.

The Roughed Tooth Dolphin, as some other species, is harder to spot out there in the ocean because they prefer waters with great depths. They can weigh around 350 pounds and measure about 8 ½ feet long. They have a small head and feature a long snout, lacking the crease on the melon that other dolphins have separating the beak from this organ.

The square-shaped head of the Risso Dolphin is a telling sign of what species you are seeing. They don’t have any teeth in the upper jaw, but they have several pegs-like teeth on the bottom jaw.

The Striped Dolphin gets its name from the blue and white stripes on its body. This species is believed to have the highest population in the world as well as the biggest overall distribution of that population. If you want to be impressed by acrobatics, check out this Dolphin.

The Common Dolphin was very respected in the early cultures. Researchers have found items from the Ancient Greek and Roman times picturing this cetacean.

The Dusky Dolphins tend to live in waters cooler than the temperatures preferred by other species of dolphins. They can be found in coastal regions as well performing astonishing leaps out of the water.

The Killer Whale is the most remarkable dolphin due to its size and strength. They can take down seals effortlessly which is important due to the significant volume of food that they need to consume on a daily basis.

The Pilot Whale can weigh up to 5,000 pounds and be up to 24 feet long being the second largest dolphin only after the Killer whale. They are believed to be the most social of the dolphin species.

References

William F. Perrin, Bernd Würsig, J.G.M. ‘Hans’ Thewissen. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, 2009.

Annalisa Berta. Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises: A Natural History and Species Guide. University of Chicago Press, 2015.

Mark Simmonds. Whales and Dolphins of the World. New Holland Publishers, 2007.

Dolphins inhabit all oceans of the world; therefore it is reasonable that they appear in many stories of civilizations that populated the continents long time ago. The most famous stories about dolphins mention how they rescued people from the dangers of the sea or how they helped fishers with their activities in return for some of the loot.

These stories are not so far from reality. But some others are fantastic tales related to alternate worlds, ancient legends, temperamental deities and curious anecdotes. All this created a mythology with several legends about these magnificent cetaceans.

THE DOLPHINS IN OLD GREECE

The men of ancient Greece had a collection of myths that survived until the present day. For the Greeks the concept of dolphins was positive, considering it a benevolent animal and its appearance in the wake of the boats as a good omen. Many coins from those times show the image of children, men or gods riding a dolphin.

Respect, admiration and affection: what dolphins have aroused in many human civilizations over time.

SOME KNOWN MYTHS:

– Dolphins were the messengers of Poseidon, the god of the seas.

– Once, some pirates captured the god Bacchus or Dionysus who confused him with a Prince, with the intention to ask for ransom. Dionysus raged and turned the ship’s oars into snakes, which frightened the pirates and made them jump into the sea. However, the god had mercy on them and decided to turn them into dolphins so that from then on they would help men.

Probably this myth caused that many Greeks considered that killing a dolphin was a totally outrageous and reprehensible act.

– The gods Aphrodite and Apollo considered dolphins sacred.

– In the Hymn to Apollo, Homer, the poet, relates that the temple of this god was at the base of Mount Parnassus. In need of priests, he became a dolphin and hijacked a merchant ship, making the winds blow in a way that the ship headed for the Greek coast. The crew then stayed in the new temple and served as priests.

– Who is the child, that appears on Greek coins, which rides on the back of a dolphin?” Apparently, it is Taras, the son of Poseidon. According to the myth, his father sent a dolphin to save him from a shipwreck.

As Greeks associated dolphins with Poseidon, this probably explains why in all the depicts of the sea god is always surrounded by dolphins. In one myth about Poseidon, dolphin messengers were sent to bring him a nymph he loved, who he later married. As a reward, he set the dolphin in the sky as a constellation. And he was regularly accompanied by dolphins among other sea creatures.

Alos Greeks associated dolphins with romance. Aphrodite is often depicted with dolphins, riding them or being accompanied by them.

Dolphins, in Greek culture, were often rescuers of humans, probably because they like to bring things to the surface and, well, because there’s some real evidence that they do indeed purposely rescue people in danger.

DOLPHINS IN MYTHOLOGIES OF OTHER CULTURES

The Minoan civilization, an ancient culture which settled on the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea, represented the presence of dolphins in their culture. A sample of this is the fresco with dolphins found in the Palace of Knossos that until today remains almost unchanged.

Certainly, the Greek culture has an extensive repertoire of myths that have been passed down through generations, but dolphins have appeared in the histories of many other cultures. For example, in regions of Brazil and the Solomon Islands some parts of the body of dolphins are used for medicines and totems, and for the Hindus, the Ganges river dolphins (Platanista gangetica) have a relation with the god Ganga.

For the ancient Romans, dolphins were in charge of bringing the souls of the dead to the Islands of the Blessed; They related these animals to mystical processes of life, death, and resurrection. Even the Greeks associated these animals with the Assyrian goddess Atargatis, the deity of fertility and the underwater world.

The culture in the age of Christianity is not exempt from these stories either. It is believed that on one occasion St. Martin the hermit was tempted by a libertine woman, and seeing himself about to sin he threw himself into the sea and went to live on an uninhabited island. Some versions indicate that the saint was taken to the shore on the back of a dolphin and others mention that two dolphins transported him after a woman arrived on the island where he lived.

Respect, adoration, and affection are what dolphins have aroused in the human culture which is far more than just interest. Many of their myths agree with the image that is popularly known of them since they have rarely appeared as evil or dangerous beings in these stories. Certainly, dolphins will continue to be present in future stories.

DOLPHINS IN MODERN TIMES

Dolphins have been viewed as somehow magical for millennia by humans. They’re one of the only animals that appear to play, leaping out of the water and doing tricks, and the bottlenose dolphin even seems to grin widely at everything. It was inevitable that such a remarkable animal also generated fantastic mythology that extends through today.

This image of the dolphin continued in myth and legend as the world transformed around them. Byzantine sailors, Arab sailors, Chinese and European explorers, all had tales of dolphins rescuing sailors or ships in trouble. Dolphins could predict calm seas. And a ship accompanied by dolphins was sure to find safe harbor, fair weather, and following seas. It was terrible luck to harm a dolphin, which is evident in the tales of Pelorus Jack, a dolphin described in the late 19th century who guided ships through a particularly treacherous strait off the coast of Tasmania.

Jack would appear as ships neared the canal, and guide them through the safe parts of the water, leaving the ship once it was safely through. One day, a drunk passenger on one ship shot Jack, and of course, he fled. Weeks later, he reappeared to guide ships again, but would never guide that particular ship again. And ultimately, that ship did wreck on the rocks of the strait.

Today, in movies and literature, we have modern legends about dolphins. Almost any website or book about dolphins will speak of their incredible intelligence.

References

Alan Rauch. Dolphin. Reaktion Books, 2013.

Marie-Claire Anne Beaulieu. The Sea as a Two-way Passage Between Life and Death in Greek Mythology. ProQuest, 2008.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/whales/man/myth.html

http://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1983/2/83.02.12.x.html