1. Dolphins are whales with many teeth

All dolphins belong to the group of toothed whales, which have many teeth – up to 256 in fact.

40 species of dolphins have been described. The largest dolphin is the killer whale, which can be over 9 meters long. The smallest is the bottlenose dolphin, which can be 1.5 meters long. While whales evolved for approx. 50 million years ago, the dolphins are probably approx. 5 million years old.

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2. Flipper was a tumbler

Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus is the best known dolphin species and the one most often kept in captivity. It's the one you've seen in movies – and possibly dolphin shows. It is called Bottlenose dolphin in English and øresvin in Danish. Porpoises are common throughout the world in tropical and temperate marine areas. There are two types of it, one adapted to life on the coast and one adapted to life at sea.

The first dolphinarium opened to the public in St. Augustine, Florida, USA in 1938. Until around 1970, more and more dolphinariums came. The film and TV series about Pinball in the 1960s contributed to its popularity and gave rise to what is known as the Pinball Myth. There is the belief that dolphins are pets and have human characteristics.

In the 1970s, new legislation came, and greater attention to animal welfare meant that many dolphinariums eventually closed. In the UK there were over 30 dolphin shows in the early 1970s. The last one closed in 1993. According to Wikipedia, there are still around 60 dolphinariums in Europe, and there are many in, for example, the USA, Japan and Mexico.

3. Dolphins save people from sharks

In 2004, lifeguard Rob Howes was swimming with his 15-year-old daughter Niccy, Karina Cooper and Helen Slade in the sea off Ocean Beach, New Zealand. They were about a hundred meters from shore when they were suddenly surrounded by dolphins.

- They looked after us like shepherds, and they pushed the four of us close together as they swam round and round in a circle, Howes told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).

As he attempted to swim away from the group, two of the largest dolphins came and forcefully pushed him back to the others. Just then he spotted a huge great white shark in the crystal clear water, and the shark was heading towards the group. The dolphins therefore made an enclosure to protect the four swimmers from the shark. The humans were in the dolphin circle for about 40 minutes – until it became clear it was safe for them to swim to shore.

This is just one of several accounts of dolphins coming to man's aid.

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4. Dolphins are used in disease treatment

In the US, some parents are trying to heal their autistic children by letting them swim with dolphins. Therapy with dolphins has also been used for depression, where people are bombarded with the dolphins' pulsating click sounds. If you search online, you can find articles dealing with "dolphin therapy". Many doctors have ethical concerns, and many point out that it can even be dangerous (see separate section on aggressive dolphins).

5. Dolphins bite people

Unlike domesticated dolphins, wild dolphins will bite if they are irritated, angry or scared. When humans attempt to swim with dolphins, the dolphins are greatly disturbed, and there are several reports of people jumping into a pod of dolphins being pulled under and also bitten.

6. Dolphins are annoying animals – to whales

During whaling, it has been observed that the whales move away from areas with many dolphins, in short because they perceive them as nuisances. Dolphins behave in a way that we humans can interpret as play.

Playing with whales consists of the dolphins running their snouts into the whale's body and probably biting a bit. It all ends like when we are attacked by mosquitoes or wasps; first we try to fight back, after a short while we flee. It is difficult to know what the motivation behind the behavior is.

7. The dolphin became a constellation thanks to Poseidon

The sea nymphs in Greek mythology were friendly souls who helped sailors and fishermen in distress at sea. Their means of transport was the dolphin.

Poseidon was the god of the sea. He wanted to marry Amphitrite, who was one of the sea nymphs. She knew of his dubious reputation and countless mistresses, so she was reluctant. To escape Poseidon, she hid well in an unknown location in the Atlantic Ocean. After trying a number of cunning methods, Poseidon sent dolphins to find his chosen one and persuade her to meet him. The dolphins succeeded in persuading Amphitrite. As a reward, they received a constellation named after them. You can see the constellation Delphin (Delphinus) in the southern sky.

8. Dolphins were portrayed as transformed humans

There are several depictions and representations that show human-like figures undergoing a metamorphosis, a transformation, and becoming a dolphin. A Greek drinking vessel from about 540 BC. is decorated with concentric circles of dolphins around a human in the middle. You can see that some of the dolphins have human legs, so it is clear that it is a metamorphosis.

Pliny the Elder lived around 50 BC. He says that dolphins and local fishermen worked together to catch fish. In literature and mythology, there are several accounts of special connections between dolphins and humans. Many believed that the dolphin had god-like characteristics. This may be the background for the idea that some people had been transformed into dolphins.

9. The kid is a calf

The dolphin is pregnant for between 10 and 16 months, depending on the species. The dolphin's young are called calves. A calf stays with its mother for many years. It is weaned from its mother's milk after three or four years, and it becomes an adult around the age of ten. The death rate is high in the first years, and only 50 percent survive childhood and adolescence. Some species can live up to 60 years.

10. Dolphin mother has babysitters

In the first months after birth, the mother spends about half of the time alone with her newborn dolphin calf.

The rest of the time it is mother and offspring together with one or more other females who help look after the calf.