Riding the Waves

Water playground
                  Dolphins ride the tops of ocean waves, waves made by boats, and the wake, or water trail, made from bigger whales.  Babies might travel in their mothers' wakes.  It looks as if they're having a lot of fun.
                  They also love to play with each other.  They might take turns chasing each other, dodge around clumps of seaweed, carry around objects, or toss seaweed or fish around.
Social life
                 Dolphins are social animals.  They love being around other dolphins, and they also can enjoybeing around other species, such as people.
                 Dolphins usually staytogether in groups of two to 15 dolphins, called pods.  Individuals often travel from pod to pod, visiting or hunting together.  Sometimes many pods will come together to form herds.
                 Dolphins support each other.  They might help lift sick dolphins or calves to the surface so they can breathe.  There are many stories of dolphins rescuing drowning people as well.
Intelligence
                Scientists don't know how intelligent dolphins are.  Their needsare so different from our own, it is hard to judge.
                Dolphins often work together to hunt food.  A group of dolphins will circle a school of fish, herding the fish into a tight little ball.  Then the dolphins take turns blasting through the ball of fish, gobbling them up.
               Or dolphins may herd fish into shallow water, trapping them against sandbars or the shore, so the dolphins can feed easily.
                Dolphins also use tools.  Some bottlenose dolphins near Australia carrysea sponges in their beaks, or long snouts.  They dive down with the sponges, then let go of them just as they surface to catch their fish.
               Some exxperts think dolphins are using the sponges as shields to protect their beaks from sharp rocks, shells or spiny fish.  Or they might be using the sponges to stir up food from the sea grass.