Dolphins
For centuries, people have enjoyed the friendliness of dolphins, and have been inspired to create legends and honor them in art. The ancient Greeks even named a city after dolphins. ... Dolphins were believed to bring good luck to travelers. ... Dolphins rescued the poet and carried him to shore. Early stories tell of friendships between dolphins and children. ... An ancient Greek scholar noted the dolphins friendliness to humans, and that dolphins met ships to “play, frisk, and gambol before them. ... Females and young dolphins have curved dorsal fins; the males have very tall and straight ones. ... It is the largest of the beaked dolphins, and can grow up to thirteen feet long. ... Some bottlenose dolphins, however, can be pinkish-brown all over. ... Some people have seen albino dolphins. ... When bottlenose dolphins jump, they show off their sleek smooth bodies as they leap into the air. There seems to be two kinds of bottlenose dolphins. ... The Common dolphin or (Delphinus delphis) is the second most widely distributed of dolphins after the orca. ... Common dolphins grow to be seven to eight feet long, and weigh 200 to 300 pounds. ... The dolphins leap, and splash, making the sea appear stormy, and wild. ... They also have a thin long beak, (but shorter than the Common dolphins) and a distinct forehead. ... Spinner dolphins get their name from their spectacular acrobatics. ... Today large commercial fisheries pose a threat to dolphins and porpoises and legislation is required to protect them. However, fishermen in ancient time thought it was a bad omen to kill dolphins. It was like “ biting the hand that feeds you,” because dolphins drove the fish into the fishermen nets. Those early fishermen never harmed dolphins and set them free if they were tangled in the nets. Such cooperation between dolphins and fishermen is still seen in many cultures today. Today dolphins still appear in art, books, on coins, and on television and movie screens. ... However, today we will also try to learn more about them so the future will always be filled with dolphins.