In history and religion ,
Crete c. 290 BC showing Phalanthos riding a dolphin on one side and a rider with a shield decorated with a dolphin on the other side ,
Nazca culture, circa 200 AD.
American Museum of Natural History collections. Dolphins have long played a role in human culture. In
Greek myths, dolphins were seen invariably as helpers of humankind. Dolphins also seem to have been important to the
Minoans, judging by artistic evidence from the ruined palace at
Knossos. During the 2009 excavations of a major
Mycenaean city at
Iklaina, a striking fragment of a wall painting came to light, depicting a ship with three human figures and dolphins. Dolphins are common in
Greek mythology, and many coins from
ancient Greece have been found which feature a man, a boy or a deity riding on the back of a dolphin. The
Ancient Greeks welcomed dolphins; spotting dolphins riding in a ship's wake was considered a good omen. In both ancient and later art,
Cupid is often shown
riding a dolphin.
A dolphin rescued the poet
Arion from drowning and carried him safe to land, at
Cape Matapan, a promontory forming the southernmost point of the
Peloponnesus. There was a temple to
Poseidon and a statue of Arion riding the dolphin. The Greeks reimagined the
Phoenician god
Melqart as Melikertês (
Melicertes) and made him the son of
Athamas and
Ino. He drowned but was transfigured as the marine deity Palaemon, while his mother became
Leucothea. (
cf Ino.) At Corinth, he was so closely connected with the cult of Poseidon that the
Isthmian Games, originally instituted in Poseidon's honor, came to be looked upon as the funeral games of
Melicertes.
Phalanthus was another legendary character brought safely to shore (in Italy) on the back of a dolphin, according to
Pausanias.
Dionysus was once captured by
Etruscan pirates who mistook him for a wealthy prince they could ransom. After the ship set sail Dionysus invoked his divine powers, causing vines to overgrow the ship where the mast and sails had been. He turned the oars into serpents, so terrifying the sailors that they jumped overboard, but Dionysus took pity on them and
transformed them into dolphins so that they would spend their lives providing help for those in need. Dolphins were also the messengers of Poseidon and sometimes did errands for him as well. Dolphins were sacred to both
Aphrodite and
Apollo. "Dolfin" was the name of an aristocratic family in the maritime
Republic of Venice, whose most prominent member was the 13th-century
Doge Giovanni Dolfin. In
Hindu mythology the
Ganges river dolphin is associated with
Ganga, the deity of the
Ganges river. The dolphin is said to be among the creatures which heralded the goddess' descent from the heavens and her mount, the
Makara, is sometimes depicted as a dolphin. The
Boto, a species of
river dolphin that resides in the
Amazon River, are believed to be shapeshifters, or
encantados, who are capable of having children with human women. There are comparatively few surviving myths of dolphins in
Polynesian cultures, in spite of their maritime traditions and reverence of other marine animals such as
sharks and
seabirds; unlike these, they are more often perceived as food than as totemic symbols. Dolphins are most clearly represented in
Rapa Nui Rongorongo, and in the traditions of the
Caroline Islands they are depicted similarly to the Boto, being sexually active shapeshifters.
Heraldry , France, featuring a stylised heraldic dolphin Dolphins are also used as symbols, for instance in heraldry. When heraldry developed in the
Middle Ages, little was known about the biology of the dolphin and it was often depicted as a sort of fish. The
stylised heraldic dolphin still conventionally follows this tradition, sometimes showing the dolphin skin covered with
fish scales. A well-known historical example was the coat of arms of the former province of the
Dauphiné in southern France, from which were derived the arms and the title of the
Dauphin of France, the heir to the former throne of France (the title literally meaning "The Dolphin of France"). Dolphins are present in the
coat of arms of Anguilla and the
coat of arms of Romania, and the
coat of arms of Barbados has a dolphin
supporter. The
coat of arms of the town of Poole, Dorset, England, first recorded in 1563, includes a dolphin, which was historically depicted in stylised heraldic form, but which since 1976 has been depicted naturalistically.
In captivity show featuring bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales. The renewed popularity of dolphins in the 1960s resulted in the appearance of many
dolphinaria around the world, making dolphins accessible to the public. Criticism and
animal welfare laws forced many to close, although hundreds still exist around the world. In the United States, the best known are the
SeaWorld marine mammal parks. In the Middle East the best known are
Dolphin Bay at
Atlantis, The Palm and the
Dubai Dolphinarium. Various species of dolphins are kept in captivity. These small cetaceans are more often than not kept in theme parks, such as
SeaWorld, commonly known as a
dolphinarium.
Bottlenose dolphins are the most common species of dolphin kept in dolphinariums as they are relatively easy to train, have a long lifespan in captivity and have a friendly appearance. Hundreds if not thousands of bottlenose dolphins live in captivity across the world, though exact numbers are hard to determine. Other species kept in captivity are
spotted dolphins,
false killer whales and
common dolphins,
Commerson's dolphins, as well as
rough-toothed dolphins, but all in much lower numbers than the bottlenose dolphin. There are also fewer than ten
pilot whales,
Amazon river dolphins,
Risso's dolphins,
spinner dolphins, or
tucuxi in captivity. An unusual and very rare
hybrid dolphin, known as a
wolphin, is kept at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii, which is a cross between a bottlenose dolphin and a
false killer whale. The number of
orcas kept in captivity is very small, especially when compared to the number of bottlenose dolphins, with 60
captive orcas being held in aquaria . The orca's
intelligence, trainability, striking appearance, playfulness in captivity and sheer size have made it a popular exhibit at aquaria and aquatic theme parks. From 1976 to 1997, 55 whales were taken from the wild in Iceland, 19 from Japan, and three from Argentina. These figures exclude animals that died during capture. Live captures fell dramatically in the 1990s, and by 1999, about 40% of the 48 animals on display in the world were captive-born.
Military A number of militaries have employed dolphins for various purposes from finding mines to rescuing lost or trapped humans. The
military use of dolphins drew scrutiny during the Vietnam War, when rumors circulated that the
United States Navy was training dolphins to kill Vietnamese divers.
Therapy Dolphins are an increasingly popular choice of
animal-assisted therapy for psychological problems and developmental disabilities. For example, a 2005 study found dolphins an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression. This study was criticized on several grounds, including a lack of knowledge on whether dolphins are more effective than common pets.
Reviews of this and other published dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) studies have found important methodological flaws and have concluded that there is no compelling scientific evidence that DAT is a legitimate therapy or that it affords more than fleeting mood improvement.
Controversy in 2009, with a collapsed dorsal fin. There is debate over the welfare of cetaceans in captivity, and often welfare can vary greatly dependent on the levels of care being provided at a particular facility. In the United States, facilities are regularly inspected by federal agencies to ensure that a high standard of welfare is maintained. Additionally, facilities can apply to become accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which (for accreditation) requires "the highest standards of animal care and welfare in the world" to be achieved. Facilities such as SeaWorld and the Georgia Aquarium are accredited by the AZA. Organizations such as
World Animal Protection and the
Whale and Dolphin Conservation campaign against the practice of keeping them in captivity. In captivity, they often develop pathologies, such as the
dorsal fin collapse seen in 60–90% of male orca. Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s, although there are examples of orcas living longer, including several over 30 years old, and two captive orcas, Corky II and Lolita, are in their mid-40s. In the wild, females who survive infancy live 46 years on average, and up to 70–80 years in rare cases. Wild males who survive infancy live 31 years on average, and up to 50–60 years. Captivity usually bears little resemblance to wild habitat, and captive whales' social groups are foreign to those found in the wild. Critics claim captive life is stressful due to these factors and the requirement to perform circus tricks that are not part of wild orca behavior. Wild orcas may travel up to in a day, and critics say the animals are too big and intelligent to be suitable for captivity. Captives occasionally act aggressively towards themselves, their tankmates, or humans, which critics say is a result of
stress. Although dolphins generally interact well with humans, some attacks have occurred, most of them resulting in small injuries.
Orcas, the largest species of dolphin, have been involved in fatal
attacks on humans in captivity. The record-holder of documented orca fatal attacks is a male named
Tilikum,
Tião had suffered harassment by human visitors, including attempts to stick ice cream sticks down his
blowhole. Non-fatal incidents occur more frequently, both in the wild and in captivity. While dolphin attacks occur far less frequently than attacks by other sea animals, such as
sharks, some scientists are worried about the careless programs of human-dolphin interaction. Dr. Andrew J. Read, a biologist at the Duke University Marine Laboratory who studies dolphin attacks, points out that dolphins are large and wild predators, so people should be more careful when they interact with them. Four countries –
Chile,
Costa Rica,
Hungary, and
India – have declared dolphins to be "non-human persons" and have banned the capture and import of live dolphins for entertainment.
Consumption Cuisine In some parts of the world, such as
Taiji, Japan and the
Faroe Islands, dolphins are traditionally considered as food, and are killed in
harpoon or
drive hunts. and
Peru (where it is referred to as
chancho marino, or "sea pork"). While Japan may be the best-known and most controversial example, only a very small minority of the population has ever sampled it. Dolphin meat is dense and such a dark shade of red as to appear black. Fat is located in a layer of
blubber between the meat and the skin. When dolphin meat is eaten in Japan, it is often cut into thin strips and eaten raw as
sashimi, garnished with onion and either
horseradish or grated garlic, much as with
sashimi of
whale or
horse meat (
basashi). When cooked, dolphin meat is cut into bite-size cubes and then batter-fried or simmered in a
miso sauce with vegetables. Cooked dolphin meat has a flavor very similar to
beef liver.
Health concerns There have been human health concerns associated with the consumption of dolphin meat in Japan after tests showed that dolphin meat contained high levels of
mercury. Similar concerns exist with the consumption of dolphin meat in the
Faroe Islands, where
prenatal exposure to
methylmercury and
PCBs primarily from the consumption of pilot whale meat has resulted in
neuropsychological deficits amongst children. == See also ==