Humans have had a kinship with dolphins since we met a long time ago. For example, excavations of ancient cities bring to light that on the island of Crete, the Minoan civilization lived in harmony with dolphins. I love standing on the beach watching their joyful jumping antics. Like us, dolphins are air-breathing, warm-blooded, and sentient (self-aware as they recognize themselves in the mirror). They live in complex social structures called pods, some boasting 1000’s of individuals. They give birth to live young and nurse the calves from 11 months to 2 years. Their brains are much larger than the human brain. They are great vocalists and each dolphin has a “signature whistle”.
Dolphins are at the top of the food chain and therefore are highly interconnected to the health and survival of the marine ecosystem. They have a right to full lives in their wild, natural environment. So the more we understand and protect dolphins the better off we all are. To learn more, go to dolphinprogject.com or read Voices in the Ocean by Susan Casey.
