Weird or What? TV - David Attenborough TV - Douglas Adams - Diana Reiss - Todd Endris - Karl Pilkington - Colin Mochrie - Peter Singer - The Cove 2009 - Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth TV -
A surfer was attacked by a great white shark. Incredibly he survived thanks to the intervention of dolphins – did they intentionally risk their lives to save a human’s? Is it possible to smell death? Across America domestic pets acted as prophets of doom accurately predicting when someone would die. Weird of What? Grim Reapers, Discovery 2010
The ability to recognise themselves means that dolphins are possibly self-aware like humans. It means they could be capable of human-like emotions including empathy. ibid.
The Amazon: here another animal has developed echo location – the river dolphin. David Attenborough, The Trials of Life V: Finding the Way, BBC 1990
Every dolphin has its own particular name whistle. David Attenborough, The Trials of Life X: Talking to Strangers
Working as a team the dolphins isolate a group of fish and corral them into a tight ball close to the surface. The gannets can now make their move. David Attenborough, Nature’s Great Events IV: The Great Tide, BBC 2009
A river dolphin: Ganges – it’s completely blind: sonar. David Attenborough, The Life of Mammals VII: Return to the Water, BBC 2002
Dolphin teams may number several hundred. ibid.
Bottlenose dolphins: and they are on a mission – a mission to catch fish ... The dolphins have a plan. They have learnt to corral the fish by working as a team ... This behaviour is unique to the dolphins of Florida Bay. David Attenborough, Life: Hunters and Hunted e7, BBC 2009
Sardines: common dolphins are coming in from the open ocean to join in the feast. David Attenborough, The Blue Planet I: Introduction, BBC 2001
Bottlenosed dolphins: they are extremely intelligent. And with this intelligence comes playfulness. They surf – and as far as we can tell they do so for the sheer joy of it. David Attenborough, Blue Planet s2e1, BBC 2017
The world’s greatest wilderness – the open ocean. It covers over half the surface of our planet. Here there is nowhere to hide and little to eat. It’s the marine equivalent of a desert. And patrolling this desert – spinner dolphins. They stick together in a super-pod 5,000 strong. That maximises their chances of finding something to eat. David Attenborough, Blue Planet s2e4: Big Blue
Rising sea temperatures are forcing cool-water dolphins away from our shores. Attenborough Explores Our Fragile World, BBC 2009
Brazil: a thousand miles from the sea are dolphins, a newly identified species of river dolphin found nowhere else on Earth. In these black tangled waters they have become almost totally blind so they move slowly. David Attenborough, Planet Earth s2e3: Jungles, BBC 2016
The last ever dolphin message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to do a double-backwards-somersault through a hoop whilst whistling the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, but in fact the message was this: So long and thanks for all the fish. Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
It’s all about people who believe dolphins have superpowers. Penn & Teller, Bullshit! s6e4: Dolphins, Showtime 2008
Why would they do this? Why would they risk staying in an area where there are sharks? Why would they risk coming to the aid of a person? ... I think these animals are capable of a kind of empathy. Diana Reiss, Hunter College, dolphin specialist
They formed like a protective wall between me and the shark. And it was a conscious decision. Todd Endris, shark attack victim
I’ve never understood the ‘things to do before you die’ idea. If I was ill, I’d be in no mood to have a swim with a dolphin. Karl Pilkington
Our top story tonight: Famous TV dolphin flipper was arrested today on prostitution ring charges. He allegedly was seen transporting two sixteen-year-olds across state lines for immoral porpoises. Colin Mochrie
Dolphins are social mammals, capable of enjoying their lives. They form close bonds with other members of their group. Peter Singer
As a scientist I’m trained to recognize through objective measures … tool use, cognitive processes and so on. As a human being when I see a dolphin looking at me and his eyes tracking me and I lock eyes with that animals, there’s a human response that makes it undeniable that I’m connecting with an intelligent being. The Cove, 2009
The Caribbean: the Atlantic’s sun-drenched paradise. Its warm shallow waters offer shelter and plenty of food. The perfect place for this two-year-old Atlantic spotted dolphin to grow up. The seas around him are bursting with life. It’s the richest corner of the Atlantic. Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth III: From Heaven to Hell, BBC 2017