| While they are certainly playful and amusing creatures, | | | | However, many types of dolphins today are |
| there is more to dolphins than just Flipper. Dolphins are | | | | endangered, with several types already gone beyond |
| among the most intelligent animals in the world, and are | | | | bringing back. For example, a study done in 2006 was |
| found in just about every ocean around the globe. | | | | unable to locate any of the Yangtze River dolphin, |
| Types of them are even found in some of the major | | | | making it technically extinct. |
| rivers, including the Amazon River in Brazil and the | | | | The difficult fact to realize is that humans are |
| Ganges River in India. Yet they, like so many marine | | | | responsible in large part for the threat these |
| creatures, are threatened by human activity and in | | | | magnificent creature are now facing. From the spilling |
| many ways are at our mercy for survival. As an | | | | of toxic waste and trash into the oceans to runoff |
| elegant way to raise awareness and introduce the | | | | containing dangerous pesticides to accidental collisions |
| masses to the beauty and importance of the dolphin, | | | | with boat propellers, many of the dolphin's main |
| many vacation resorts offer people the opportunity to | | | | enemies are the careless byproducts of human life. |
| go swimming with dolphins to encourage environmental | | | | Dolphins are often the accidental victims of fishermen's |
| conservation. | | | | nets, when they are hauled in with catches of tuna. |
| In comparison to the rest of oceanic life, dolphins are a | | | | Unfortunately, dolphins are also hunted for food in |
| relatively new species, having evolved just 10 million | | | | many areas of the world and are killed in mass for |
| year ago. In a strange twist, dolphins are actually the | | | | commercial sale. |
| descendants of land animals who evolved into the | | | | The people of the world today have the power to |
| water, as opposed to most life forms which evolved | | | | stop the casual and mostly unintentional destruction of |
| from the water. Scientists are sure of this evolutionary | | | | these fabulous creatures, and this is why swimming |
| path as dolphins still have small vestigial pelvic bones | | | | with dolphins is so powerful. It is obvious from that |
| and leg buds as part of their skeletal structure. | | | | most of the ways we hurt dolphins are unintentional |
| The word "dolphin" comes from the ancient Greek | | | | and passive, making them unnecessary victims. By |
| word "delphys," which means womb and thus was | | | | offering people a chance to spend personal time with |
| probably chosen for the unusual fact that dolphins, like | | | | these awesome animals in their natural habitats, |
| whales, are mammals and carry their young in their | | | | resorts are encouraging people to get to know them |
| wombs before birth. Dolphins are known for their | | | | and put a face on all the things that live in the sea. And |
| unique social behavior and acute intelligence. There | | | | once you have been kissed by a dolphin, nuzzled by a |
| have even been reports of dolphins displaying culture | | | | dolphin, and ferried around on the back of a dolphin, it is |
| and learned behavior, phenomenon thought to be | | | | hard to ignore the effect we are having on them. So if |
| unique to human intelligence, by teaching their young to | | | | you get a chance, do not miss the opportunity to go |
| use tools for food searching and props and | | | | swimming with dolphins, as it is a very special and |
| decorations for mating rituals. | | | | educational experience. The hope is that it will not be a |
| Such intelligence, combined with their characteristic | | | | once-in-a-lifetime experience, but if our careless |
| playfulness and their friendly nature, is what makes | | | | treatment of their environment doesn't stop, |
| swimming with dolphins such a special experience. | | | | unfortunately it might be. |