Dolphins -- as they are quick to tell us -- are not fish, but mammals. The female gives birth to one live baby at a time, called a calf, and nurses the young one for up to four turns. Although they must remain in salt water to live, they have skin, not scales. They do not have gills, but breathe surface air through a blowhole on top of the head, and hold that air while diving to great depths.

Dolphins travel in groups called pods, each led by a mature female. Pods frequently interact with each other, sharing information of fishing, currents, and dolphin family news. They also maintain an extensive oral history.

Members of the pods can communicate with each other over great distances by use of sound waves. Receptors located in the melon -- the fatty, round part of the head -- interpret these sound waves, which also aid in navigation and location of food supplies and other underwater objects or obstacles.

Communication with humans is carried out through use of vocalizations and handsignals, so dolphins and humans must be in close proximity to carry on conversation. Although dolphin vocabulary and sentence structure is simple and dolphins often do not understand land-based concepts, they possess intelligence equal to or greater than that of humans.



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