According to mythology, Pluto, far left top, blows his horn to make music to pacify the dolphin he is riding. Note the scaly skin of the bigeyed creature in this early reproduction from a copper engraving-it resembles a dolphin only superficially. Real dolphins, like these bottlenose dolphins, far left bottom, are social mammals, fascinating in their own right. The shape of the dolphin's dorsal fin and the marks on its trailing edge help scientists to identify individuals, name them and follow their movements. In this way, the complexities of dolphin society and the details of the dolphins' life histories are revealed. Top left.. The ancient Greeks celebrated dolphins by painting them on the walls of the palace at Knossos, on the island of Crete. This painter had either seen wild dolphins or was familiar with the works of Aristotle, the first biologist who went to sea and studied dolphins. They look like striped dolphins, one of the two main species that frequent these waters today. The others are common dolphins, bottom left, playfully swimming in the classic dolphin pose as they approach a ship to bow-ride.
Rauno Lauhakangas