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1. Dolphins
This article on Dolphins was created by Southern Star Dolphin Cruise

2. Dolphins make for an icon that Florida identifies well with. These
playful underwater mammals have a very diverse group, with over fifty
different species. The dolphin family also contains the smaller whales,
like killer whales and pygmy killer whales. Although these animals are
called whales, genetically, they are dolphins. A group of dolphins are
known as a “school,” or “pod.” Males are known as “bulls,” females are
“cows,” and young dolphins are “calves.”

3. Dolphins exhibit very intelligent behavior. Using the “mirror test,” a
test in which you draw or dye a mark on an animal and put them in
front of a mirror to see if they recognize the mark, has shown that
dolphins are self-aware. Dolphins are also a known factor in animal
assisted therapy. Although what really helps the patient may not be
clear, it is shown that children with mental disabilities are more
likely to pay greater attention and produce appropriate response in
hopes for interaction with the dolphin.

4. Dolphins are known for helping helpless things. In Greek mythology,
dolphins were seen as the helpers of humankind. Dolphins around the
world have helped humans in both small and large ways. A few years
ago in New Zealand, a pod of six dolphins rushed over to a group of
teenage swimmers and one adult lifeguard. The dolphins started to
circle the swimmers in sharp turns and splashing water with their tails.
The dolphins had noticed a great white shark, and had come to save
the day. For about 40 minutes, the group slowly drifted to shore and
the dolphins continued to protect the swimmers from the shark.

5. Dolphins have also been trained to help our military. While the Navy
claims that the weaponization of dolphins in the Vietnamese War, to
kill Vietnamese divers, is false, dolphins still have other uses. One such
use is strapping a camera to the dolphin to receive video surveillance
underwater, without risk of being caught.

6. Dolphins are consumed around the world by people, and most
frequently in Japan. Japan makes dolphins into sashimi, where they eat
the meat raw and serve it with horseradish or garlic. While dolphin
meat is edible, tests have shown that the meat can contain an
unusually high amount of mercury. While no cases of dolphin-related
mercury poisoning exist, it is still recommended that pregnant women
and children should not consume dolphin meat.