Dolphins

The term dolphin in the English language typically includes members of Odontoceti that have a long beak and are on the smaller side (as compared to the typical image of a whale). However, not all creatures with the name "dolphin" have long beaks, and creatures that could be scientifically described as closely related to some dolphin species don't look like dolphins. Killer whales, pilot whales, narwhals, and porpoises are all members of Delphinoidea, which could be considered the dolphin superfamily as most oceanic dolphins are contained within this category. However, this would exclude river dolphins, which are in different superfamilies. Therefore the word dolphin is mostly a description for ceteceans that fit the physical description, and occaisonally those who don't quite (for a reason currently unknown to the writer. It could be the difference in a physical factor as observed by biologists- such as the shape of their teeth.) Ultimately, one could say that dolphins are nothing more than small toothed whales with a beak.

If you're looking for a species of dolphin from a particular myth, the best idea is to look between both it's location and it's known physical description. Occasionally portrayals won't match artists description: dolphins in England are more of a fantastical fish; dolphins in Greek art have a face more similar to beaked whales, and their dorsal fin is far closer to the head than any dolphin I can find. This latter attribute would seem disingenuous to the shipwrecked sailors who had been rescued by dolphins, as they would have known that they were resting in front of the dorsal fin, not behind it. This would make them mythological portrayals of a sort: not only artistic representations, but false representations with their myths and attributes behind them. Who knows, they might have even been a mythological species with the same name as the normal creature.

Here is a list of superfamilies that contain creatures with the name dolphin in English:


 * Delphinoidea
 * Inioidea
 * Lipotoidea
 * Platanistoidea