Rabu, 22 April 2009

xxxHolic

xxxHolic (×××ホリック ,Horikku^?),^[1] pronounced "holic",^[2] but often pronounced phonetically "ex-ex-ex-holic" or "triple x holic", is a seinen manga series planned and presented by Clamp. The storyline of xxxHolic crosses over with that of a number of other CLAMP series, the most notable of which are Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle which was written in tandem with it, and Cardcaptor Sakura, whose history it draws on at several points.

xxxHolic has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine periodically since 2003 and published in volumes under the KC Deluxe label. It is currently published in the United States by Del Rey Manga and in the United Kingdom by Tanoshimi. The art style of the manga draws on the influence of ukiyo-e wood prints.^[3]^[4]

Plot summary

Kimihiro Watanuki is a high school student plagued by yōkai, spirits with a strong attraction to him. The spirits are invisible to others and encounters with them are extremely troublesome. When he stumbles into a shop that grants wishes, however, events in his life promise to become more unusual.

The shop is owned by Yūko Ichihara, a mysterious and beautiful (sometimes playful) witch of many names and esoteric renown. For a price, she offers to grant Watanuki's wish to be rid of the spirits. The price, according to Yūko, must be of equal value and so, as payment, he temporarily becomes Yūko's part-time employee.

Watanuki's job consists of small errands dealing with the supernatural and household chores. His love interest, Himawari Kunogi, and "rival," Shizuka Dōmeki, occasionally join him in his work as per Yūko's request. The three become increasingly close despite Watanuki's annoyance with Dōmeki.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Media

[edit] Manga

[edit] Movie

A movie adaptation titled xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream (劇場版 xxxHOLiC 真夏ノ夜ノ夢 ,Gekijōban Horikku: Manatsu no Yoru no Yume^?) premiered on August 20, 2005 alongside Tsubasa Chronicle the Movie: The Princess of the Country of Birdcages (劇場版ツバサ・クロニクル鳥カゴの国の姫君 ,Gekijōban Tsubasa Kuronikuru Nendaiki Torikago no Kuni no Himegimi^?). The DVD version was released on November 24, 2006.

Yūko Ichihara from the movie xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream

In the film, Yūko receives a request from a woman to help her back into her mansion, which does not allow her to enter. Yūko says that since Watanuki was the one who brought the client to her, he should be the one to grant her wish and therefore is brought along with her and Dōmeki. Yūko also attends because she has been invited to the mansion with many other famous collectors by the same letter, with the mansion filled with strange rooms and mysterious letters telling its guests what to do in place of a host. Though the collectors come to the theory of a mysterious auction being held, as in some urban legends, it becomes apparent that something more sinister and mysterious is going on as the collectors begin to disappear and a number of other strange occurrences happen.

The film was selected as a finalist for the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2006 in the Feature Films category with other four nominees: Asterix and the Vikings, Origin: Spirits of the Past, Wallace and Gromit, and the award winner, Renaissance.

[edit] TV series

[edit] OVA

A two-DVD OVA, entitled xxxHOLiC Shunmuki (xxxHOLiC 春夢記 ,xxxHOLiC Shunmuki^?) (xxxHOLiC Spring Dreams Chronicle) has been announced for xxxHOLiC. The first DVD for this OVA will be released on February 17, 2009 with the 14th volume of the Japanese manga. Another two DVD OVA which will cross over with this one was also announced for the Tsubasa series, entitled Tsubasa Shunraiki (ツバサ春雷記 ,Tsubasa Shunraiki^?) (Tsubasa Spring Thunder Chronicle).

[edit] Novel

×××HOLiC ANOTHERHOLiC Landolt-Ring Aerosol (×××HOLiC アナザーホリックランドルト環エアロゾル ,Horikku Anazāhorikku Randoruto-Kan Earozoru^?),^[7] a novel set within the series was written by Nisio Isin and published in Japan on August 1, 2006^[8]. The first chapter of the novel, "OUTERHOLiC," was the basis for episode 17 of the animated series. The novel includes original artwork by Clamp. Del Rey published an English translation of xxxHOLiC: AnotherHOLiC^[9], released on October 28, 2008^[10].

[edit] Fanbooks

Several fanbooks have been released in Japan.

Gekijōban ×××HOLiC Official Fanbook (劇場版 ×××HOLiC OFFICIAL FANBOOK ^?) – Released August 17, 2005, ISBN 9784063720495 [1]
TV Animation ×××HOLiC Extra Official Guide Released May 17, 2006, ISBN 9784063721515 [2]
Shinpan ×××HOLiC Dokuhon (新版 ×××HOLiC読本^?, "Brand New ×××HOLiC Reading-book") – Released November 17, 2006, ISBN 9784063722260 [3]

[edit] Video Game

An adventure game by Marvelous Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 video game console was released in Japan on August 9, 2007,[4] named ×××HOLiC ~Watanuki no Izayoi Sowa~ (×××HOLiC 〜四月一日の十六夜草話〜^?, "Watanuki's Sixteen-day-old Moon Grass Story").[5]

[edit] Design

[edit] Themes

Watanuki's growth and change caused by his experiences from meeting one person is a recurring theme. According to a fortune teller in volume 2, Yūko is the one that will change Watanuki. However, it is implied that he will be linked to both Yūko and Dōmeki and that all their connections were foreseen.

Recently in the story, adding to the theme of change, there is a reference to X/1999, as Yūko mentions something similar to what Kakyō Kuzuki says in a certain part of the story: "To change the world, you have to change yourself".

One such theme is the concept of hitsuzen (必然 ^?), first introduced by Yūko in this story, but in terms of CLAMP storylines it was first introduced by the character of Kaho Mizuki in Cardcaptor Sakura. Hitsuzen has no direct translation into English (which is why Del Rey has opted to keep the Japanese term whenever it appears in Tsubasa or xxxHolic), but can be interpreted as referring to inevitability, destiny, or fate.

Interpreting hitsuzen as "fate" is not inaccurate, but in the context of the story, "fate" is implied as something that is immutable and definite, giving the idea that whoever is bound by fate is nothing more than its puppet. Instead, hitsuzen is the idea that an action is inevitable because without it, other related events in the future could not happen. Therefore all decisions and actions are related, and there can be no coincidence, only hitsuzen. Other English translations of the remark have rendered hitsuzen as "inevitability."^{[citation needed]}

Another theme present in xxxHolic and other Clamp works can be observed in the first volume of the series. When Watanuki introduces himself to Yūko, he gives her his real name as a common courtesy. Because his name is also an obvious reference to the date of his birth (spelt in kanji, his name is 四月一日, a spelling also meaning April 1, a birthday shared by Cardcaptor Sakura's Sakura Kinomoto, and the incarnations of herself and Syaoran in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle), he has given her two key bits of information that will inevitably give someone the power to discover everything about him (based on his birthday) and control his destiny (from his name). This theme has previously appeared in Tokyo Babylon, where Subaru Sumeragi made a similar mistake revealing his true birthdate to Seishirō Sakurazuka.

TV Themes Opening theme:

"19sai (19才 ,Jūkyū-sai^?)" by Shikao Suga^[11]
"NOBODY KNOWS" by Shikao Suga (xxxHOLiC: Kei)^[12]
"Sanagi" by Shikao Suga (xxxHOLiC: A Midsummer Night's Dream)
"Sofa" by Shikao Suga (xxxHOLiC OVA Shunmuki: episode 1)

Ending themes:

"Reason" by Fonogenico (episodes 1-13,24) ^[11]
Kagerou (蜉蝣-かげろう- ,Kagerou -Kagerou-^?) by BUCK-TICK (episodes 14-23) ^[11]
"Honey Honey" by Seamo featuring Ayuse Kozue (xxxHOLiC: Kei)^[12]
"Cherish" by AZU (xxxHOLiC OVA Shunmuki: episode 1)

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (April 2008)

One major factor in xxxHolic is the connections between Clamp's other manga; many of Clamp's characters outside of xxxHolic appear or are referenced about in this manga. In Chapter 3, Yūko tells Watanuki about a girl living in this world with her boyfriend: Sakura Kinomoto, the protagonist of Cardcaptor Sakura. In the 12th and 13th chapter, characters from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, one of Clamp's other series, make their first appearance in the story. xxxHolic character Yūko Ichihara likewise appears in a corresponding chapter of Tsubasa. In the 13th chapter, Watanuki meets Mokona which Yūko says was created as a model using the original Mokona from Magic Knight Rayearth. In Chapter 8, when Watanuki goes to a drug store, he meets Kazahaya and Rikuo, characters from Legal Drug. A fortune teller friend of Yūko's appears in Kobato and also appears in Chapter 16 of xxxHolic, though the old lady has a bigger significance in xxxHolic. In addition, various items, like headphones resembling Chi's ear pods (from Chobits), a replica of Sakura's wand from Cardcaptor Sakura, and also the first book Chi reads in Chobits ( A City with No People ) appear in episode 4 with Maro and Moro reading it. Yūko's use of hitsuzen has also been mentioned in Cardcaptor Sakura by Kaho Mizuki as she remarks that "there are no coincidences, only hitsuzen".^[13] The link between other series is one of the focal points of xxxHolic, and the two series Tsubasa and xxxHolic are intimately linked and frequently crossed over.

Additionally Yūko makes references to other characters from different works of Clamp, though she rarely calls them by name.

Clamp have stated that Tsubasa and xxxHolic are meant to tie all of their works together, yet still stand alone as their own stories.

Other, non-Clamp anime and manga series are often referenced by various characters, usually Yūko. These works tend to be older anime.

In chapter 8 of the comic, Yūko uses a marker to write Zantetsuken (The Sword That Cuts Iron) on a baseball bat. She then goes through a bunch of action poses and cuts a laptop ending with Goemon Ishikawa's trademark phrase from Lupin III by Monkey Punch. Another reference made by Yūko, is in chapter 42 of the manga is to Cat's Eye. Other references include Urusei Yatsura by Rumiko Takahashi in chapter 46, etc.

In episode 1 of the second series, xxxHolic: Kei, Yūko is seen reading an issue of Ōkiku Furikabutte (おおきく振りかぶって), a popular baseball manga; earlier in that episode the characters were seen watching a baseball match in which the player had the same uniform as the characters of that manga. There are two common links between Ōkiku Furikabutte and xxxHolic – the comics they are based on are both published by Kodansha, while their animated adaptations are both directed by Tsutomu Mizushima.

In Episode 3 Maru and Moro are seen playing with a Tachikoma model, the spider-like mecha of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and a Yamamoto battleship model, both built by Yūko and company while waiting for Watanuki to return. The Ghost in the Shell and xxxHolic franchises are both animated by Production I.G.

Dolphin

For other uses, see Dolphin (disambiguation).

Bottlenose Dolphin breaching in the bow wave of a boat

Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. They vary in size from 1.2 m (4 ft) and 40 kg (90 lb) (Maui's Dolphin), up to 9.5 m (30 ft) and 10 tonnes (9.8 LT; 11 ST) (the Orca or Killer Whale). They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. The family Delphinidae is the largest in the Cetacea, and relatively recent: dolphins evolved about ten million years ago, during the Miocene. Dolphins are considered to be amongst the most intelligent of animals and their often friendly appearance and seemingly playful attitude have made them popular in human culture.

Origin of the name

The name is originally from Ancient Greek δελφίς (delphís; "dolphin"), which was related to the Greek δελφύς (delphys; "womb"). The animal's name can therefore be interpreted as meaning "a 'fish' with a womb".^[1] The name was transmitted via the Latin delphinus, Middle Latin dolfinus and the Old French daulphin, which reintroduced the ph into the word.

The word is used in a few different ways. It can mean:

Any member of the family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins),
Any member of the families Delphinidae and Platanistoidea (oceanic and river dolphins),
Any member of the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales; these include the above families and some others),
Used casually as a synonym for Bottlenose Dolphin, the most common and familiar species of dolphin.

In this article, the second definition is used. Porpoises (suborder Odontoceti, family Phocoenidae) are thus not dolphins in this sense. Orcas and some closely related species belong to the Delphinidae family and therefore qualify as dolphins, even though they are called whales in common language. A group of dolphins can be called a "school" or a "pod". Male dolphins are called "bulls", females "cows" and young dolphins are called "calves".^[2]

Taxonomy

Killer Whales, also known as Orcas

The Boto, or Amazon River Dolphin

Suborder Odontoceti, toothed whales
- Family Delphinidae, oceanic dolphins
  - Genus Delphinus
    - Long-Beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus capensis
    - Short-Beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis
  - Genus Tursiops
    - Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
    - Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops aduncus
  - Genus Lissodelphis
    - Northern Rightwhale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis
    - Southern Rightwhale Dolphin, Lissiodelphis peronii
  - Genus Sotalia
    - Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis
    - Costero, Sotalia guianensis
  - Genus Sousa
    - Indo-Pacific Hump-backed Dolphin, Sousa chinensis
      - Chinese White Dolphin (the Chinese variant), Sousa chinensis chinensis
    - Atlantic Humpbacked Dolphin, Sousa teuszii
  - Genus Stenella
    - Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Stenella frontalis
    - Clymene Dolphin, Stenella clymene
    - Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Stenella attenuata
    - Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris
    - Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba
  - Genus Steno
    - Rough-Toothed Dolphin, Steno bredanensis
  - Genus Cephalorynchus
    - Chilean Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus eutropia
    - Commerson's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii
    - Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
    - Hector's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori
  - Genus Grampus
    - Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus
  - Genus Lagenodelphis
    - Fraser's Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei
  - Genus Lagenorhyncus
    - Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus
    - Dusky Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus
    - Hourglass Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger
    - Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
    - Peale's Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis
    - White-Beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris
  - Genus Orcaella
    - Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni
    - Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris
  - Genus Peponocephala
    - Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephala electra
  - Genus Orcinus
    - Killer Whale (Orca), Orcinus orca
  - Genus Feresa
    - Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata
  - Genus Pseudorca
    - False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens
  - Genus Globicephala
    - Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas
    - Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus
  - Genus †Australodelphis
    - †Australodelphis mirus
- Superfamily Platanistoidea
  - Family Platanistidae
    - Ganges and Indus River Dolphin, Platanista gangetica with two subspecies
      - Ganges River Dolphin (or Susu), Platanista gangetica gangetica
      - Indus River Dolphin (or Bhulan), Platanista gangetica minor
  - Family Iniidae
    - Amazon River Dolphin (or Boto), Inia geoffrensis
  - Family Lipotidae
    - Chinese River Dolphin (or Baiji), Lipotes vexillifer (possibly extinct, since December 2006)
  - Family Pontoporiidae
    - La Plata Dolphin (or Franciscana), Pontoporia blainvillei

Six species in the family Delphinidae are commonly called "whales" but are strictly speaking dolphins. They are sometimes called blackfish.

Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephala electra
Killer Whale (Orca), Orcinus orca
Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata

Wolphin Kawili'Kai at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii.
False Killer Whale, Psudorca crassidens
Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas
Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus

Hybrid dolphins

In 1933, three strange dolphins were beached off the Irish coast; these appeared to be hybrids between Risso's Dolphin and the Bottlenose Dolphin.^[3] This mating has since been repeated in captivity and a hybrid calf was born. In captivity, a Bottlenose Dolphin and a Rough-toothed Dolphin produced hybrid offspring.^[4] A Common-Bottlenose hybrid lives at SeaWorld California ^[5] Various other dolphin hybrids live in captivity around the world or have been reported in the wild, such as a Bottlenose-Atlantic Spotted hybrid.^[6] The best known hybrid however is the Wolphin, a False Killer Whale-Bottlenose Dolphin hybrid. The Wolphin is a fertile hybrid, and two such Wolphins currently live at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii, the first having been born in 1985 from a male False Killer Whale and a female Bottlenose. Wolphins have also been observed in the wild.^[7]

Evolution and anatomy

The Anatomy of a Dolphin showing its skeleton, major organs, tail, and body shape

Evolution

Anatomy

Dolphins have a streamlined fusiform body, adapted for fast swimming. The tail fin, called the fluke, is used for propulsion, while the pectoral fins together with the entire tail section provide directional control. The dorsal fin, in those species that have one, provides stability while swimming.

Though it varies per species, basic colouration patterns are shades of grey usually with a lighter underside. It is often combined with lines and patches of different hue and contrast.

The head contains the melon, a round organ used for echolocation. In many species, the jaws are elongated, forming a distinct beak; for some species like the Bottlenose, there is a curved mouth which looks like a fixed smile. Teeth can be very numerous (up to two hundred and fifty) in several species. Dolphins breathe through a blowhole located on top of their head, with the trachea being anterior to the brain. The dolphin brain is large and highly complex and is different in structure from most land mammals.

Unlike most mammals, dolphins do not have hair, but they are born with a few hairs around the tip of their rostrum which they lose shortly after birth, in some cases even before they are born.^[9] The only exception to this is the Boto river dolphin, which does have some small hairs on the rostrum.^[10]

Their reproductive organs are located on the underside of the body. Males have two slits, one concealing the penis and one further behind for the anus. The female has one genital slit, housing the vagina and the anus. A mammary slit is positioned on either side of the female's genital slit.

Senses

Most dolphins have acute eyesight, both in and out of the water, and their perception of sound extends ten times or more above the upper limit of adult human hearing.^[11]Though they have a small ear opening on each side of their head, it is believed that hearing underwater is also if not exclusively done with the lower jaw which conducts the sound vibrations to the middle ear via a fat-filled cavity in the lower jaw bone. Hearing is also used for echolocation, which seems to be an ability all dolphins have. It is believed that their teeth are arranged in a way that works as an array or antenna to receive the incoming sound and make it easier for them to pinpoint the exact location of an object.^[12] The dolphin's sense of touch is also well-developed, with free nerve endings being densely packed in the skin, especially around the snout, pectoral fins and genital area. However, dolphins lack an olfactory nerve and lobes and thus are believed to have no sense of smell,^[13] but they can taste and do show preferences for certain kinds of fish. Since dolphins spend most of their time below the surface normally, just tasting the water could act in a manner analogous to a sense of smell.

Though most dolphins do not have any hair, they do still have hair follicles and it is believed these might still perform some sensory function, though it is unclear what exactly this may be.^[14] The small hairs on the rostrum of the Boto river dolphin are believed to function as a tactile sense however, possibly to compensate for the Boto's poor eyesight.^[15]

Behaviour

A pod of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins in the Red Sea

Social behaviour

Dolphins surfing at Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia

Dolphins are social, living in pods (also called "schools") of up to a dozen individuals. In places with a high abundance of food, pods can join temporarily, forming an aggregation called a superpod; such groupings may exceed a thousand dolphins. The individuals communicate using a variety of clicks, whistles and other vocalizations. They also use ultrasonic sounds for echolocation. Membership in pods is not rigid; interchange is common. However, the cetaceans can establish strong bonds between each other. This leads to them staying with injured or ill individuals, even actively helping them to breathe by bringing them to the surface if needed.^[16] This altruistic behaviour does not appear to be limited to their own species however. A dolphin in New Zealand that goes by the name of Moko has been observed to seemingly help guide a female Pygmy Sperm Whale together with her calf out of shallow water where they had stranded several times.^[17] They have also been known to seemingly protect swimmers from sharks by swimming circles around the swimmers^[18]^[19] or charging the sharks to make them go away.^{[citation needed]}

Dolphins also show cultural behaviour, something long believed to be a quality unique to humans. In May 2005, a discovery was made in Australia which shows this cultural aspect of dolphin behaviour: Some dolphins, such as the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) teach their young to use tools. The dolphins break sponges off and cover their snouts with them thus protecting their snouts while foraging. This knowledge of how to use a tool is mostly transferred from mothers to daughters, unlike simian primates, where the knowledge is generally passed on to both sexes. The technology to use sponges as mouth protection is not genetically inherited but a taught behaviour.^[20] Another such behaviour was discovered amongst river dolphins in Brazil, where some male dolphins apparently use objects such as weeds and sticks as part of a sexual display.^[21]

Dolphins are known to engage in acts of aggression towards each other. The older a male dolphin is, the more likely his body is covered with scars ranging in depth from teeth marks made by other dolphins. It is suggested that male dolphins engage in such acts of aggression for the same reasons as humans: disputes between companions or even competition for other females. Acts of aggression can become so intense that targeted dolphins are known to go into exile, leaving their communities as a result of losing a fight with other dolphins.

Male Bottlenose Dolphins have been known to engage in infanticide. Dolphins have also been known to kill porpoises for reasons which are not fully understood, as porpoises generally do not share the same fish diet as dolphins and are therefore not competitors for food supplies.^[22]

Reproduction and sexuality

Dolphin copulation happens belly to belly and though many species engage in lengthy foreplay, the actual act is usually only brief, but may be repeated several times within a short timespan. The gestation period varies per species; for the small Tucuxi dolphin, this period is around 11 to 12 months, while for the Orca the gestation period is around 17 months. They usually become sexually active at a young age, even before reaching sexual maturity. The age at which sexual maturity is reached varies per species and gender.

Dolphins are known to have sex for reasons other than reproduction, sometimes also engaging in acts of a homosexual nature.^[23] Various dolphin species have been known to engage in sexual behaviour with other dolphin species,^[23] this also having resulted in various hybrid dolphin species as mentioned earlier. Sexual encounters may be violent, with male dolphins sometimes showing aggressive behaviour towards both females and other male dolphins.^[23]^[24] Occasionally, dolphins will also show sexual behaviour towards other animals, including humans.^[25]

Feeding

Various methods of feeding exist, not just between species but also within a species. Various methods may be employed, some techniques being used by only a single dolphin population. Fish and squid are the main source of food for most dolphin species, but the False Killer Whale and the Killer Whale also feed on other marine mammals.

One feeding method employed by many species is herding, where a pod will control a school of fish while individual members take turns plowing through the school, feeding. The tightly packed school of fish is commonly known as a bait ball. Coralling is a method where fish are chased to shallow water where they are more easily captured. In South Carolina, the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin takes this one step further with what has become known as strand feeding, where the fish are driven onto mud banks and retrieved from there.^[26] In some places, Orcas will also come up to the beach to capture sea lions. Some species also whack fish with their fluke, stunning them and sometimes sending fish clear out of the water.

Reports of cooperative human-dolphin fisheries date back to the ancient Roman author and natural philosopher Pliny the Elder.^[27] A modern human-dolphin fishery still takes place in Laguna, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Here, dolphins drive fish towards fishermen waiting along the shore and give them a signal when they can cast their nets. The dolphins then feed off the fish that manage to escape the nets.^[28]^[29]

Vocalizations

Dolphins are capable of making a broad range of sounds using nasal airsacs located just below the blowhole. Roughly three categories of sounds can be identified however; frequency modulated sounds which are usually just called whistles; burst-pulsed sounds and clicks. Whistles are used by dolphins to communicate, though the nature and extent of their ability to communicate in this way is not known. Research has shown however that at least some dolphin species are capable of sending identity information to each other using a signature whistle; a whistle that refers specifically to the identity of a certain dolphin. The burst-pulsed sounds are also used for communication, but again the nature and extent of communication possible this way is not known.^[30] The clicks are directional and used by dolphins for echolocation and are often in a short series called a click train, the rate increasing when approaching an object of interest. Dolphin echolocation clicks are amongst the loudest sounds made by animals in the sea.^[31]

Pacific White-Sided Dolphins breaching

Jumping and playing

Dolphins occasionally leap above the water surface, sometimes performing acrobatic figures (e.g. the Spinner Dolphin). Scientists are not always quite certain about the purpose of this behaviour and the reason for it may vary; it could be to locate schools of fish by looking at above-water signs like feeding birds, they could be communicating to other dolphins to join a hunt, attempting to dislodge parasites, or simply doing it for fun.

Play is a fairly important part of dolphins' lives, and they can be observed playing with seaweed or play-fighting with other dolphins. At times they also harass other local creatures, like seabirds and turtles. Dolphins also seem to enjoy riding waves and frequently 'surf' coastal swells and the bow waves of boats. Occasionally, they're also willing to playfully interact with human swimmers.

Sleeping

Because dolphins need to come up to the surface to breathe and have to be alert for possible predators, they do not sleep in the same way land mammals do. Generally, dolphins sleep with only one brain hemisphere in slow-wave sleep at a time, thus maintaining some amount of consciousness required to breathe and keeping one eye open to keep a watch out for possible threats. The earlier stages of sleep can be observed in both hemispheres of the brain, however.^[32]^[33]^[34]

However, in captivity, dolphins have been observed to seemingly enter a fully asleep state where both eyes are closed and the animal does not respond to mild external stimuli, respiration being automatic with a tail kick reflex keeping the blowhole above the water. If not needed to keep the blowhole above the water, the tail kick reflex may subside. Dolphins kept unconscious using anesthetics initially show a similar tail kick reflex.^[35] Though a similar state has been observed with wild Sperm Whales, it is not known if this state is ever reached in the wild amongst any dolphin species.^[36]

Threats to dolphins

Natural threats to dolphins

Except for humans (discussed below), dolphins have few natural enemies, some species or specific populations having none at all making them apex predators. For most smaller species of dolphins, only a few larger species of shark such as the bull shark, dusky shark, tiger shark and great white shark are a potential risk, especially for calves. Some of the larger dolphin species such as Orcas may also prey on some of the smaller dolphin species, but this seems rare. Dolphins may also suffer from a wide variety of diseases and parasites.

Human threats to dolphins

Human–dolphin relationships

Mythology

A sketch of the goddess Ganga on her Vahana (mount) Makara

Popular culture

The famous Orca Keiko from the Free Willy movies being prepared for transport.

In more recent times, the 1963 Flipper movie and the subsequent popular Flipper television series, contributed to the popularity of dolphins in Western society. The series, created by Ivan Tors, portrayed a dolphin in a friendly relationship with two boys, Sandy and Bud; a kind of seagoing Lassie. Flipper, a Bottlenose Dolphin, understood English commands unusually well and was a marked hero. A second Flipper movie was made in 1996, which was based on the story of the original movie. A Bottlenose Dolphin also played a prominent role in the 1990s science fiction television series seaQuest DSV in which the animal, named Darwin, could communicate with English speakers using a vocoder, a fictional invention which translated the clicks and whistles to English and back.

More well known from this time period is probably the movie Free Willy however, which made famous the Orca playing Willy, Keiko. The 1977 horror movie Orca paints a less friendly picture of the animal. Here, a male Orca takes revenge on fishermen after the killing of his mate. In the 1973 movie The Day of the Dolphin trained dolphins are kidnapped and made to perform a naval military assassination using explosives.

Dolphinariums

Welfare

A number of organizations rescue and rehabilitate sick, wounded, stranded or orphaned dolphins, such as the Mote Marine Laboratory, or work on dolphin conservation and welfare, such as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

Therapy

Dolphins are an increasingly popular choice of animal-assisted therapy for psychological problems and developmental disabilities. For example, a 2005 study with 30 participants found it was an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression.^[43] However, this study was criticized on several grounds; for example, it is not known whether dolphins are more effective than common pets.^[44] Reviews of this and other published dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) studies have found important methodological flaws and have concluded that there is no compelling scientific evidence that DAT is a legitimate therapy or that it affords any more than fleeting improvements in mood.^[45]

Military

Literature

Dolphins are also common in contemporary literature, especially science fiction novels. A military role for dolphins is found in William Gibson's short story Johnny Mnemonic, in which cyborg dolphins are used in war-time by the military to find submarines and, after the war, by a group of revolutionaries to decode encrypted information. Dolphins play a role as sentient patrollers of the sea enhanced with a deeper empathy toward humans in Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern series. In the Known Space universe of author Larry Niven, dolphins also play a significant role as fully-recognised "legal entities". More humorous is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, in which dolphins are the second most intelligent creatures on Earth (after mice, and followed by humans) and tried in vain to warn humans of the impending destruction of the planet. However, their behaviour was misinterpreted as playful acrobatics. Their story is told in So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. Much more serious is their major role (along with chimpanzees) in David Brin's Uplift series. A talking Dolphin called "Howard" helps Hagbard Celine and his submarine crew fight the evil Illuminati in Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus Trilogy.

Dolphins also appear frequently in non-science fiction literature however. In the book The Music of Dolphins by author Karen Hesse, a girl is raised by dolphins from the age of four until she is discovered by the coast guard. Fantasy author Ken Grimwood wrote dolphins into his 1995 novel Into the Deep about a marine biologist struggling to crack the code of dolphin intelligence, including entire chapters written from the viewpoint of his dolphin characters. In this book, humans and dolphins are capable of communicating via telepathy.

Art

Dolphins are a popular artistic motif, dating back ancient times. Examples include the Triton Fountain by Bernini and depictions of dolphins in the ruined Minoan palace at Knossos and on Minoan pottery.

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