Dolphins are intelligent and social marine mammals. They belong to the order Cetacea. There are over 40 species of dolphins, found in all the world's oceans.

Dolphins are social animals that live in groups called pods. Herds can vary in size, from a few units to hundreds of individuals. Dolphins communicate with each other through a variety of sounds, called whistles, clicks and hisses. These sounds are used to communicate information such as the location of food, the presence of predators, and the individual's emotional state.

Dolphins are predators and feed on a variety of fish, squid and other marine animals. They usually hunt in groups and work together to capture prey. Dolphins are also known for their intelligence. They are able to learn new behaviors and solve complex problems.

Dolphins are fascinating animals and have piqued human interest for centuries. They are often depicted in art and literature and have been the subject of numerous scientific studies

Already in ancient times there were stories of human beings who had become familiar with dolphins, but only in recent years have specific studies and observations begun. It was thus possible to ascertain that in dolphins the brain reaches the stage of evolution believed to be exclusive to anthropomorphic apes and man.

Sometimes dolphins seem to smile, but in reality when it seems to us that they are laughing they simply open their mouths and bare their teeth , which in many species even reach 250!

Dolphins breathe air with their lungs through an organ called a " blowhole " that opens at the top of their head. To breathe they must rise to the surface, then dive and hold their breath for up to 15 minutes . This extraordinary ability allows them to exceed 800 m of depth .

If, for example, a dolphin is injured and can no longer swim under its own power, two companions stand on either side of it and support it so it can reach the surface of the water and breathe.

Dolphins are agile and fast swimmers, they often make leaps up to 6-7 meters high out of the water and it is not uncommon for them to follow ships for hundreds of miles. The secret of their speed lies in the tail, used as a propulsion organ.

Sleeping with only half their brain, they can remain alert for over 15 days in a row, managing to use echolocation , or biosonar, with great precision, or the ability to orient themselves in movements and identify targets without using sight or touch but by means of ultrasound .

Scientists have managed to prove that each dolphin produces a personal sound developed in the first months of life and responds only to "copies" of its own whistle, a sort of name. Each whistle produced by dolphins has a precise meaning and some researchers have discovered how animals have a real vocabulary made up of around 200 different sounds. Not only that: each specimen seems to be associated with a characteristic sound, as if it were a sort of proper name that distinguishes it from other similar ones.

The word “dolphin” comes from the Greek delphus meaning “womb” and refers to the fact that dolphins are mammals.

During sleep , in fact, only part of their brain falls asleep . The other remains wide awake, probably to regulate voluntary breathing.

A dolphin can dive up to 300m deep and can reach a maximum speed of around 65km/h.

These animals also seem to be great romantics. As discovered by a study conducted by the University of Western Australia, the males of some dolphin species give gifts to females (sea sponges or small crustaceans) to win them over.