Most of us have heard stories about them assisting ships through hazardous waters ore rescuing humans in precarious and dangerous situations. More than one story of dolphins saving humans from sharks has been documented.
Photo Courtesy of DogDispatch
Dog Saved By A Dolphin
Recently, a pod of dolphins swimming in the canal near Marco Island, Florida rescued a little brown terrier struggling to keep its head above water. There was no telling how long the little fellow had fought to remain afloat.
When the curious pod of dolphins closed in on the small, scared dog they quickly circles around it and began to make loud sounds. This disturbance caught the attention of residents living close by.
Thankfully, they soon located the source of all the racket. The noise was caused by a pod of dolphins boisterously circling the helpless terrier barely staying afloat.
Two of the dolphins were making a very special effort to rescue the pup. One of them was dipping under the dog the help it remain afloat. Another dolphin was doing its best to keep the dog above the surface of the water by poking it with its snout.
The remaining dolphins in the pod appeared to keep scanning the area to see what else needed to be done. It was obvious that they wanted to rescue this pup! They made every effort to call attention to the dog’s plight so others would come to pull him out of the perilous water.
Those watching from the shore called the fire department who responded quickly. Upon their arrival, they could tell that the tiny terrier was close to perishing. The emergency responders rushed into the water to save the puppy.
As part of their initial assessment of the small dog, the firefighters decided that he had most likely been struggling to stay afloat for 15 hours. Had it not been for them and the dolphin pod who intervened on its behalf, the pup would surely have perished!
Not only were the dolphins compassionate enough to do their best to keep the scared puppy afloat, the were intelligent enough to get the attention of humans who could actually pull it out of the water. This might make you wonder just how smart are dolphins?
Just How Intelligent Are Dolphins?
Animals with large brains have several other traits in common.. They are:
- a longer life span than most other animal species
- are sociable
- have very complex behaviors
- females give birth to fewer offspring than other species
- care for each newborn to a great degree and teach them life skills
- the milestones of life such as sexual maturity and individual independence develop more slowly than in smaller-brained species
Did this dog saved by a dolphin benefit from their gift of echolocation?
The word “echolocation” simply means to “see” by sonar. Dolphins have the ability to use sound to evaluate their surroundings. Sound waves travel through water much faster and with more efficiently than do light waves.
This very unique ability allows dolphins to pick up on extremely tiny details of things in their surrounding environment. Even in water that is dark and without any light, echolocation assists dolphins in hunting and for safe travel.
Dolphins can detect the location of one another by picking up on echolocating clicks. They can even perceive one another’s pregnancies to help them determine exactly which one they are viewing.!
These mental capabilities support logical thinking! Further, the part of the brain that controls the processing of emotions, known as the limbic system, is more complex that even humans!
A well-known neuroscientist, Lori Marino, says that dolphin pods are a sophisticated social network, even more so than are humans.
Do Dolphins Help Humans In Every Day Life Or Just In Times Of Peril?
There are many documented instances in which dolphins have helped sailors to accomplish amazing military feats. Humans have not always been kind to, even performing mass murder of dolphins on occasion. Nevertheless, they have remained helpful to humans.
Fishermen from various locations, such as Myanmar, Mauretania and Brazil have reported that dolphin
helped them to catch seafood! It is the Dolphin and not the fisherman that initiated their combined fishing efforts. When the fishermen cast their nets. the dolphins herd the fish to be caught into them. The fishermen show their appreciation by giving the dolphins their fair share of the catch.
If you enjoy reading about dogs being rescued from the water, you will want to read this:
English Bulldog Was Rescued From Icy Waters By Fearless Firefighters
Photo of a dog on a dolphin’s back is Courtesy of YouTube.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. Please share it with your friends.