I have been fascinated by dolphins for years. My dream is to one day swim with the dolphins, and spend time with them.

I always have my binoculars with me when I go to the beach so I can spot the dolphins. They are fascinating to watch, and are our friends in the sea! They have been known to save swimmers and surfers from shark attacks.

A few facts about dolphins

• One of the strangest things about spotted dolphins is that not all of them have spots: the number and of spots varies from one individual to another, and according to their age and where they live.
• The bottlenose is one of the largest of the oceanic dolphins and, in many parts of the world, is regarded as the most typical member of the dolphin family.
• The river dolphins are superbly adapted to life in some of the largest, muddiest rivers in Asia and South America.
• The English word 'dolphin' is believed to have evolved from the Greek word 'delphys', meaning 'womb' ~ a symbol for the source of life is the womb, illustrating the importance attached to dolphins since early times.
• A dolphin cannot breathe underwater: Each time it dives beneath the water, a dolphin holds its breath. It rises to the surface at regular intervals to breathe air with the help of a specially adapted nostril, or 'blowhole', on the top of the head.

Unlike other mammals, . . .

• dolphins do not have thick coats of hair to keep them warm. Instead, they have a thick layer of insulating fat, or blubber.
• dolphins do not have 'baby' teeth but produce just one permanent set of teeth which erupt a few weeks after birth; these are all the same conical shape.
• dolphins are able to move their eyes independently, with one looking forward while the other looks to the side or behind.
• Many dolphins are fast swimmers and some species are able to attain burst speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour.
• The amount of time spent underwater, and the maximum depth reached, varies from species to species. Oceanic dolphins tend to spend most of their time within 100 meters of the surface.
• Dolphins suffer from many diseases and other health problems that also afflict humans, including cancers, stomach ulcers, heart disease and pneumonia.
• Dolphins do not have a regular sleeping and waking pattern linked to night and day and they never fall into a deep sleep. Instead, they take short 'cat-naps', resting only half the brain at a time.
• Physically mature adult dolphins vary in length from just under 6.25 feet to nearly 12.75 feet and weigh anywhere from 330 lbs. to 1,430 lbs.