Dolphins: The smart, sociable heroes of the sea

At the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Dolphins in legend Mississippi, USA, Kelly the Dolphin has been Our relationship with dolphins goes back as causing quite a splash. long as people have fished and travelled the As part of the institute’s training programme, seas. They were familiar in Greek and Roman art, these much-loved marine mammals have been where illustrations on coins, pottery and mosaic taught to pick up any litter that drops in their floors show leaping dolphins ridden by gods and pool in order to swap it for a fish reward. The demigods. system was working well until one dolphin, The ancient Greeks believed them to be known as Kelly, had other ideas. After finding a messengers of the sea god, Poseidon, and large piece of paper floating on the water, she they were also sacred to the gods Aphrodite hid it under a rock at the bottom of the pool and Apollo. Killing a dolphin was considered a instead of giving it to her trainer. She then tore sacrilegious act. The Romans took their spiritual off bits of the paper, getting a fish for each new connection with dolphins one step further by piece she presented and thus maximising her imagining them to be guides who led the souls fish quota. of the dead to the Islands of the Blessed. There By hiding the paper in the first place, Kelly have also been many stories that describe showed that she was able to delay gratification, dolphins as rescuers of ships and drowning and researchers have admitted that her scheme humans. to split the paper into separate pieces shows A dolphin hero quite sophisticated thinking on her part. One such dolphin, nicknamed ‘Pelorus Jack,’ The shell trick was famous for helping ships pass through the A recent study published in the scientific journal dangerous waters of Cook Strait, New Zealand, Current Biology shows just how resourceful between 1888 and 1912. Despite the rocks dolphins can be. In Shark Bay, Western Australia, and strong currents, no shipwrecks were ever a whole pod of dolphins has been observed recorded when Jack was present as a guide. using empty shells as spoons. This activity, Named after a nearby coastal area called Pelorus which has become known as ‘shelling’, involves Sound, he was so important to shipping that he a dolphin chasing a fish into a giant shell then became the only individual sea creature to be trapping it by pushing its nose into the opening. protected by law in any country in the world. After that, the dolphin will take the shell up to Mankind has long believed that dolphins are the surface and shake it to release the excess gifted with a rare intelligence and studies such water. When the water has poured out of the as those carried out in the USA and Australia are shell, the dolphin tips the trapped fish into its helping us understand just how brainy they really open mouth. are. No wonder we feel such a strong bond and sense of kinship with these lively, graceful and By Kate McLelland resourceful sea creatures. 32 Please mention The Villager and Town Life when responding to adverts

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