Whales and Dolphins
Introduction
They are among the most intelligent creatures on Planet Earth. They have
dwelled in all the oceans of the Planet for over 3 million years. They are
some of the largest creatures Earth's history has ever known. They have
captured the imaginations of countless Human cultures and individuals. And
yet so little is known about them. What, or who, are whales and dolphins,
and why is there such a close bond between our two so very different
species?
Whales, dolphins and their smaller relatives, the porpoises, are known to
science as cetaceans. Although similar in appearance to many species of
fish, whales and dolphins are warm-blooded, breathe air from the water's
surface, give birth to live young and feed their young on milk. These
characteristics mean that cetaceans are in fact mammals, just like humans.
There are over 80 species of whales and dolphins recognised by science,
and there may be even more yet to be discovered. They come in all shapes
and sizes, ranging from the tiny Vaquita porpoise at 1.3 m in length, to
the well-known friendly bottlenose dolphin, to the enormous blue whale -
the largest creature Earth has ever known.
The origins of Whales and Dolphins: Science
and Myth
Whales and dolphins inhabit all the oceans of the world, and a few species
dwell in freshwater. Yet this has not always been the case.
Millions of years ago, a cow-like creature resembling a wolf in
appearance, walked on the land in the continents now known as Europe, Asia
and North America. These animals were of the now extinct family of
Mesonychidae, and as they competed for food on the land, some began to
search the waters for food. Generation after generation passed, and the
Mesonychidae began to adapt in their new environment. They lost their fur
to become more streamlined, enabling them to swim more easily, leaving
bare skin over a thick layer of blubber to provide insulation in cold
water. Their entire body too was re-shaped to become streamlined; external
ears vanished, front legs became flat pectoral fins (flippers) to provide
steerage and the back legs were replaced by a muscular tail ending in
broad flukes (tail-fins) which, when moved up and down, provided
propulsion. To make breathing at the water's surface more efficient, their
nostrils moved to the top of their heads and became blow-holes. Thus, from
the land-dwelling family of Mesonychidae a new family was born: the family
of whales and dolphins.
Such is the origin of whales and dolphins according to science. However,
many cultures have told different stories. Perhaps the most vivid account
of the origin of dolphins is that of the ancient Greeks. Legend tells us
that Dionysis, the god of wine and mirth, was once voyaging across the
Mediterranean islands of Ikaria and Naxos disguised as a traveller. But
the sailors had evil intentions, and unknowing the true identity of their
passenger, planned to kidnap Dionysis and sell him as a slave. Once
Dionysis discovered this plot, he used his divine powers to fill the boat
with vines and the sound of pipes. He caused leopards and lions to appear
and changed the oars of the boat into snakes. In order to escape this
madness, the sailors leapt over board into the sea, where the ocean god
Poseidon changed them into dolphins, forever destined to help sailors by
guiding their boats.
The native Inuit peoples of the Arctic, who have depended on hunting small
numbers of sea mammals for generations, also attribute whales and dolphins
with divine creation. Their legends tell of a young girl named Sedna, who
refused to every marry a man and rejected all her lovers. She then fell in
love with a dog and married him instead. Enraged, all of Sedna's rejected
men took the girl aboard a boat and pushed her into the sea. Sedna grasped
the edge of the boat in an effort to stop herself from falling into the
freezing waters, but the cruel men chopped off all her fingers. Her
severed fingers fell into the sea, and turned into the world's first
whales, dolphins, seals and walruses. Sedna is now the reigning goddess of
the sea, and if she becomes enraged, she will shut away all the sea-beasts
so man is unable to hunt.
Whatever their origins, there is something undeniably special and unique
about whales and dolphins. Most people find the appeal of these animals
hard to put into words. Some say it is the beautiful appearance of whales
and dolphins that attracts them - their graceful bodies, effortless
movement, almost human eyes and, in many species, a permanent "smile" as
cryptic as the expression of the Mona Lisa. For others, it is the apparent
intelligence of dolphins that is so appealing; many claim that you need
only look into a dolphin's eyes to recognise the spark of intellect.
The Intelligent, Friendly Dolphin
The intelligence of dolphins is well-documented by science. Studies show
that dolphins are able to mimic, understand sign language, solve puzzles
and use objects in their environment as tools. It is also believed that
dolphins possess a sophisticated language, and countless examples indicate
that they can transmit information from one individual to individual. A
recent experiment proved that dolphins can even recognise themselves in a
mirror - something that very few animals can achieve. This demonstrates
that dolphins are aware of their own individuality, thus showing
intelligence on a level that may be very near our own.
Throughout history, right up to present day, there have been tales of
whales and dolphins befriending humans. In ancient Greece and Rome, many
tales were told of boys and dolphins who formed a very close friendship.
In one moving account, a dolphin named Simo would routinely take a poor
boy on his back across a stretch of water between the boy's home and his
school. But tragically, the boy fell ill and died, and soon afterwards
Simo was found dead on the beach, apparently having killed himself out of
grief. This is just one of many tales of people and dolphins forging a
close relationship in the ancient Greco-Roman world, and many Greek and
Roman artefacts from coins to vases were decorated with the motif of a boy
riding a dolphin.
More recent history also reports friendly dolphins and whales from all
around the world, and, like those of Greek and Roman stories, many
unfortunately met tragic deaths through the actions of humans whom they
trusted so much. In 1814, a large male dolphin named Gabriel befriended
adults and children, but was killed by someone who attempted to transport
him to London in a farm wagon. In 1979, a young male bottlenose dolphin
named Dobbie would interact with people in the waters of Israel, but after
several months he was killed by gunshots. During the 1980s, two belugas,
or white whales, interacted with people in Long Island, near New York.
One, a female named BW who would push people inside inflatables, was found
dead from gunshot wounds, while another named Bella disappeared after
aquarium owners attempted to capture her.
Today, there are still many friendly individuals and groups of whales and
dolphins around the world. One of the most famous is Funghie, a large male
bottlenose dolphin who lives in Dingle Bay, Ireland. Thousands of tourists
are attracted to the bay every month to watch his antics, swim with him
and perhaps even stroke him. Another famous dolphin, again a bottlenose,
is Jojo, who lives in the Turks and Caicos of the Caribbean. He is so
loved by islanders that he even has his own warden, Dean Bernal, who
protects him and helps him if he is injured by boats - which happens all
too frequently. Other friendly solitary dolphins include Olin from the Red
Sea, Filippo of Italy and Flipper of Norway. In Alaska, a friendly pod of
Gray whales routinely approach whale-watching boats to be stroked by
tourists, and in Monkey Mia of Australia, a pod of dolphins often visit
the beach to visit the tourists.
Many accounts exist, from both the ancient and the modern world, of
dolphins helping people. In many areas of the world, dolphins co-operate
with fishermen by driving fish into nets, a relationship that is often
generations old. There are additionally countless examples of dolphins
helping swimmers in distress. The ancient Greek and Roman tell us that the
bard Arion, Odysseus's son Telemachos, and the son of Poseidon, Taras,
were saved from drowning by dolphins. The Maoris of New Zealand have a
legend that says they were lead to their promised land by a group of
dolphins, who helped them to the shore. In the modern world, tales of
dolphins saving humans by battling sharks, helping drowning people ashore
and even guiding life boats to victims of shipwrecks frequently make it to
the papers. Such actions of compassion are deeply touching, especially
when considering the many ways in which dolphins and whales are mistreated
by humans. It is no wonder that for the ancient Greeks and Romans,
Christians and Native Americans, the dolphin is a symbol of protection,
and its image is said to bring good luck.
Sacred Whales and Dolphins
For many cultures across the world, whales and dolphins are associated
with divine powers and are seen as superior beings. In ancient Greece, to
kill a dolphin was equal to killing a human and was a crime punishable by
death. For dolphins were seen messengers for the Gods, and were closely
associated with Poseidon's daughters, the Nereids, the goddess of love
Aphrodite, the heroine Galatea and the music-loving sun god, Apollo. It
was said that the constellation Delphinus, the dolphin, was put in the sky
by Poseidon in gratitude to the dolphins for finding his bride Amphitrite.
In the rainforests of the Amazon Basin, the native Indians tell literally
thousands of legends about the mysterious pink Amazon river dolphin, also
called the Boto. Stories abound of the river dolphins taking human form
and wooing young girls. They are often as regarded as unlucky, as they may
tempt unknowing men and women into the water, where they are taken to
Encante, the underwater world of no return. Similar tales of shape
shifting are told of the elusive Baiji, or Yangtze river dolphin.
In Sumeria, dolphins were connected to Ea-Oannes, the deity of the sea,
and sometimes with the goddess Isis in Egypt. The ancient Celts attributed
the dolphin with well-worship and the healing powers of water, and the
image of people riding dolphins is seen on some Celtic artefacts. Some
Australian Aboriginal tribes claim to be direct descendants of dolphins,
who are sometimes regarded as guardian spirits. The dolphin is also an
important symbol in heraldry, the art of creating coats-of-arms, and
represents diligence, salvation, charity and love.
Whales too are seen as sacred in some cultures. Russian, Slavic and
Arabian mythology claims that whales support the world, and in Chinese
mythology a whale with the hands and feet of a man rules the ocean. The
Chinese also connected the single spiral tusk of the Narwhal, an
Arctic-dwelling whale, with the horn of the sacred Unicorn. Statues of the
Buddha in Tibet are frequently accompanied by whales.
The great black and white killer whale, or orca, actually the largest
member of the dolphin family, is important for many native American
cultures. The Tlingit, Nootka and Haida tribes in particular see the orca
as one of the many animal ancestral spirits and is viewed as an embodiment
of strength and speed. Orca motifs, as well as other whales, appear on
many native American objects from clothes to shamanic drums, as well as
items of South American origin. Like the river dolphins of the Amazon,
however, native American mythology sometimes casts the orca as a dangerous
being, who can take people to their realm under the sea and transform them
into whales.
Whales are also sources of fear and superstition for some cultures, and
are frequently regarded as monsters in myth and legend. Many sightings of
sea monsters can be attributed to whales whose sheer size terrified
sailors of the old world. A large number of sailors believed in a number
of demonic whales, such as the Red Whale, the Horse Whale and the Pig
Whale, that sunk ships and ate everyone on board. To even utter the name
of these whales was considered bad luck. In Japan however, whales were
connected with the more benevolent sea serpents known as Shan, who would
visit the coast to play in large numbers. Norse folklore told of whales
with magical powers, and cast them as the mounts of evil witches and
wizards.
The symbolism of the whale in Christianity is ambivalent. The belly of the
whale is often used to represent Hell, and the whale's jaws as Hell's
gates and some Christians connect the terrifying biblical sea monster
Leviathan with the whales. Yet the "big fish" that swallowed the sinner
Jonah is usually interpreted as whale, therefore portraying the mighty sea
mammal as God's ally. The Bible tells us that once Jonah had repented, he
was vomited out by the whale - thus connecting the whale with rebirth and
resurrection. Some ancient Islamic folktales also hold this legend true,
and in fact Jonah's whale is one of only 10 animals allowed into Heaven.
The whale features in another story from Christianity, telling of the
voyages of the Irish monk St. Brandon. In one account, St. Brandon and his
companions land on a strange island, where they settle and begin to cook
food. But as the campfire burns, the island shudders and sinks. Having
barely escaped, the sailors are told by St. Brandon that the island was
actually a mighty whale name Jasconius, whom they had woken when they lit
the fire. A very similar tale was told in Persia of the legendary sailor
Sinbad, who also became stranded on the back of a whale having mistaken it
for an island.
Both whales and dolphins are regarded on a level equalling that of humans
in Vietnam. If the body of dead whale or dolphin is washed ashore, its
finder must mourn the death like a brother and bury the body. Mass graves
filled with the skulls of whales and dolphins have been found in Vietnam
by archaeologists. Ironically, this treatment was shared by early whalers
in Japan, who on killing a pregnant whale would bury the foetus and give
it a Buddhist name.
Whales and Dolphins Today
Even today, whales and dolphins are widely thought to possess mystical
powers. Thousands of people, including healers and patients alike, claim
that dolphins in particular have a mysterious healing ability, easing
ailments ranging from depression to autism. Even the image or sounds of
whales or dolphins alone are sometimes reputed to have a beneficial
effect. Scientists have explained this healing effect as a result of
endorphins - the body's natural pain killing hormone - being released as a
result of feelings of intense happiness and excitement, and so interacting
with a dog, cat or horse could produce a similar effect. Some New Age
practitioners, however, believe that dolphins act as channels of Ki, the
life-energy associated with Feng Shui, Reiki and Tai Chi. The calls of
whales and dolphins are often used in musical compositions for relaxation
and meditation.
Despite the overwhelming popularity of whales and dolphins, these animals
sadly face more threats from humanity than ever before. Whales and
dolphins are still slaughtered in their thousands all over the world,
dying for nothing more than the human greed for profit. Even more
needlessly drown in fishing nets or as a result of pollution poisoning
their habitat and food. Large numbers of dolphins and small whales are
also imprisoned in tiny concrete tanks in marine parks and zoos, where
they must perform several times a day to entertain visitors. Such
exploitation is a far cry from the respect these animals earned from the
cultures of the ancient world.
It is highly ironic and disturbing that these gentle creatures, who
continue demonstrate unconditional friendship and trust and touch the
lives of millions all over the world, are among some of the most
endangered mammals in the world. It has been estimated that as few as 150
Baiji river dolphins exist today, and this species, the source of many
extraordinary Chinese myths, now has little chance of survival. The
vaquita porpoise, susu river dolphin, Hector's dolphin, right whale and
blue whale are among the many other cetaceans who have been classed as a
threatened species.
If we are to ensure that whales and dolphins continue to inspire our
children in the future, we must reach back to the past and regain the
respect held by our ancestors for our cousins of the sea. Only then can
these magnificent beings can live the life they deserve - swimming safe
and free for all time.
Written by Megan Balanck
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