The Human And Dolphin Relationship Essay Research

The Human And Dolphin Relationship Essay, Research Paper

The Human and Dolphin Relationship

.The voice of the dolphin in the air is like that of the human in that they can pronounce vowels and combinations of vowels, but have difficulties with the consonants. (Aristotle internet). The communication between dolphins can only be described scientifically and historically. The true nature of how dolphins communicate with one another and possibly with other species is something only known to the dolphin. It is an evolving, complex mystery we are only now starting to grasp the significance of. .Eventually it may be possible for humans to speak with other species. I have come to this conclusion after careful consideration of evidence gained through my research experiments with dolphins. (John Lilly internet). In this research paper evidence will be shown to prove that it is possible for dolphins and humans to communicate in a significant and meaningful way.

Since the beginning of recorded history, it has been said that man has had an interest in dolphins. People from many countries have met and interacted with them. It has been well documented that dolphins have saved lives, assisted sailors in navigating through storms, and have supported fisherman in their daily catch. The earliest incident of drowning that was saved by a dolphin that researchers know of is that of the Greek poet Arion, who was thrown into the sea by pirates. The dolphin carried him home to Greece on its back. This legend was recalled in Shakespeare.s Twelfth Night (Walther 39).

.It is noted that it was a dolphin who had found a wife for Neptune, the Sea god. (Walther 39). The Greek philosopher Plutrach states that through the help of a dolphin Telemachos, son of Odysseus, was saved from drowning. Pliny the elder, the Roman scholar, wrote about Hermias, a boy who often took rides on a dolphin.s back. One day while out with the dolphin, a storm hit and Hermias slipped off the dolphin.s back and drowned. The dolphin brought Hermias. body to the shore and beached himself over the grief of Hermias. death and died. It has been recorded that for twenty-four years a male dolphin guided every boat safely across the dangerous Cook Strait in New Zealand, day and night (Dolphin Synergy internet).

It is thought that the dolphin was an animal who years ago tried to live on land and didn.t like it. Scientists think that dolphins are descended from a four-legged hairy animal that returned to the sea, making them .re-entrants. (Brooks 7-8). It has now been proven that sixty million years ago the dolphin.s ancestor was the cow. Cows are the distant cousins to the dolphins and the whales. Fossils have been found, showing the missing link with hooves on its flippers (Dolphins video).

The body of a dolphin can be described as sleek and smooth. Dolphins are extremely fast swimmers, and their blubbery flesh allows them to reach speeds over twenty-five miles per hour. Dolphins can be identified by blowholes on top their heads, fore-fins, and horizontal flukes. Unlike fish, dolphins are mammals and must come to the surface to breathe, about every five minutes. Some dolphins can hold their breath for up to thirty minutes while others can only hold it for twenty seconds. Their ears are small openings that are hardly noticeable, but are able to pick up sounds more than 150 feet away.

Dolphins vocalize underwater by using a series of clicks and whistles. Dolphins appear to have their own signature whistle, like their own name. Individuals recognize each other by their own voices, and can mimic sounds of other animals. They have no vocal cords, but are able to make sounds by moving air through the lungs with the blowhole closed underwater. Also dolphins have sonar, the ability to see underwater with sound (Dolphins video). It is well known that by using sonar dolphins can see through one another, getting a better understanding of who they are.

Dolphins are very sociable, playful, and friendly. Dolphins spend their lives with a pod, which is a close family/social group consisting of a few males, females and their offspring. They cooperate with each other when hunting or catching fish. They are constantly talking and communicating with each other, showing affection, and other emotions. A hurt or wounded dolphin is always taken care of by others, even at risks to their own lives (Brooks 5-6). Others in the group will take turns lifting the wounded to the surface for air, taking turns until it gets well again or until death.

During birth, the mother is always assisted by another female called an .Auntie.. She is there to help fend off sharks and to push the calf directly to the surface for air the minute it is born. Other females gather around forming what is believed to be a protection circle, and is used as a defense against sharks and orcas. The mothers and their young will reside in the circle while the others leap out to butt the gills and heads of sharks, sometimes killing it.

Over 70% of the Earth.s surface are covered by ocean and there might be intelligence far beyond our own (Lilly internet). Dolphins have the highest brain capacity of any non-human animal, twice that of higher primates (Herman internet). The bottlenose dolphin.s brain is physically more folded than any other mammal, including humans. Its cerebral cortex, however, is only half as thick as h