Dolphins

This diminutive mammal could soon go extinct.

Only 30 of the World’s Most Adorable Porpoise Are Left on Earth

As “the panda of the sea” hurtles toward extinction, scientists stage a last-ditch effort to save the species

Nearly 100 false killer whales are currently stranded in the Everglades in the worst Florida stranding of its kind.

Scores of Dolphins Are Stranded in the Everglades

So far, at least 82 false killer whales have died

The fossil Arktocara yakataga (resting on an 1875 ethnographic map of Alaska) belonged to a dolphin that swam in subarctic marine waters around 25 million years ago.

Smithsonian Researchers Uncover Extinct, Ancient River Dolphin Fossil Hiding in Their Own Collections

Sometimes, paleontologists don’t have to go into the field to discover a tantalizing new species

Artist's rendering of the first U.S. dolphin sanctuary

National Aquarium Will Move Dolphins to Seaside Sanctuary by 2020

Under mounting public pressure, the aquarium's eight bottle-nosed dolphins will soon move to a seaside retreat in the tropics

Does Snot Help Dolphins Echolocate?

The cetaceans can perform acoustic gymnastics, but how they produce ultrasonic noises has long eluded scientists

Groggy after a night in a strange place? A night watchman in your brain may be to blame.

You Can’t Sleep While Traveling Because Your Brain Acts Like a Dolphin’s

On the first night in a new place, half your brain stays awake to watch out for danger

This Is How Dolphins 'See' Humans With Echolocation

A news study capture images of what dolphins 'see' underwater

Electric Fishing Puts a Rare Dolphin-Human Partnership at Risk

Illegal fishing practices are threatening traditional cooperation between humans and river dolphins in Burma

Wild pigs go for a dip off Big Major Cay in the Exhumas, Bahamas.

Not Just Dolphins: Where to Swim With Pigs, Penguins and the Gentlest of Sharks

At these beaches, splash around with some more unusual creatures

Shortly after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, dolphins were observed swimming through an oil slick. Their exposure to petroleum fumes may have wrought serious consequences.

Research Confirms Fears that Deepwater Horizon Spill Contributed to Dolphin Deaths

Dead bottlenose dolphins stranded in the Gulf of Mexico had lesions linked to petroleum exposure

These Dolphins Mourn Their Dead

A new study looks into a sad ritual at sea

An albino bottlenose dolphin, like this one but without its melanin, was spotted off the coast of Florida in December.

An Albino Dolphin Was Spotted Off the Coast of Florida

It is only the 15th albino dolphin sighting recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Our Answers to the Most Burning Questions of 2014

Here are the ten most popular installments of "Ask Smithsonian" this year

Elusive Indus River dolphins.

Why Freshwater Dolphins Are Some of the World’s Most Endangered Mammals

In Pakistan, dams and drainage has reduced the endangered Indus River dolphin’s range by 80 percent

Whales And Dolphins Can Only Taste Salt

Almost all vertebrates enjoy five primary tastes, but not dolphins and whales

Researchers say they've developed a system that allows them to use dolphins' own language to communicate with the animals.

Checking the Claim: A Device That Translates Dolphin Sounds Into English

Researchers used new technology to interpret a dolphin noise they say translates loosely to "seaweed"

Thanks to New Shipping Guidelines, the Ocean Might Finally Become a Quieter Place

Noise from the shipping industry can stress and harm marine animals

Like Humans, Dolphins’ Genetics Are Shaped by Their Culture

Dolphins that use sponges as tools have a different haplotype than those that do not

A dolphin with its drug of choice.

Dolphins Seem to Use Toxic Pufferfish to Get High

The dolphins' expert, deliberate handling of the terrorized puffer fish implies that this is not their first time at the hallucinogenic rodeo

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