Dolphin History
The senior dolphin was a female name Teresa and her pod included Kibby, Amadeus, Aphrodite, China, Captiva, Sandman, Oregon, Cass, Olga, Pha, Atlanta, Tory, Maximillian, Carolina, Dart, Italia, Malawi, Bessie, Lottie and five others. These original dolphins, once released into the oceans after their cryogenic sleep, immediately went to work exploring their new home and helping the humans map out the coastline and watch for dangers when sailing. They also assisted the scientists in the capture of the native sea life for study, and reported on what they couldn't catch as well as the duties that they had agreed to in the Dolphin Contract.
Over the eight years prior to the first Threadfall over landing, the dolphin population grew to nearly two-hundred members and Cass had moved a subsidiary pod into the Eastern waters near Young Mountain. As their numbers continued to grow, more pods were formed and they established friendly competitions between them to help keep them sharp. They worked closely with their human partners and the sailors for several years afterward. It was here on Pern that the dolphins developed the tradition of meeting one a year in the Western Sea for a sort of 'delphinic Gather'. At the beginning of each gathering, the dolphins would sing the Name Song to honor the original twenty-five dolphins who traveled to Pern. It was at these gatherings that young dolphins would undertake their 'coming of age' challenge and try to cross the Great Subsidary. Not all young dolphins survived this. It was also at these gatherings that The Tillek would select young dolphins to learn from her directly. However, this peaceful existence would be disrupted in about two and a half year's time.
Over the next couple of days, Dolphins took turns hauling barges, rafts and loose cargo from Manaco to their designated drop-off location in Kahrain. When Garben and Picchu did finally blow, most of the priority packages had been moved and all that was left was to cross the Southern Sea with ships loaded down with materials and people. As the ships sailed along the coast of the Southern Continent, the dolphins escorted them, keeping an eye out for ships in distress so that they might bring a human companion or two over to assist. The Dolphins were split into two groups to escort the two group of ships that sailed along the Southern Coastline. A smaller group of two pods went ahead with the larger, faster craft while a larger group of dolphins escorted the smaller, slower craft. The dolphins outdid themselves rescuing shipwrecked crews and salvaging what supplies they could after a surprise squall near Boca and Sadrid. Many sailors in that group of smaller vessels thanked the dolphins for their quick reactions, resulting in no loss of life and very little loss of cargo.
The rest of the crossing was made with no major incidents and the ships, along with their Dolphin escorts, reached Fort Hold. In the following years, the humans began settling Fort Hold and Weyr and eventually branched out into new holds and Weyrs as the population grew. Dolphineers and their Dolphin partners still scouted Pern's seas but Thread, plagues and other such things not only killed hundreds but meant there was less and less time for Dolphineering and the dolphins were eventually forgotten. Over the centuries, the dolphins of Pern continued to grow and uphold their end of the Dolphin Contract, hoping one day that man would remember their agreement and there would once again be Dolphineers to uphold man's end of the Dolphin Contract.
Dolphin Physiology
Dolphin Psychology
The Dolphin Pods
Pod Matriarch: Malawi
Pod Members:
Males: Amadeus, Dart, Maxim, Pha
Females: Alta, Inka, Cori, Tana, Leta, Natua
Calves:
Delta (Female - Dart and Leta's Calf)
Dolphineers:
None at this Time
Pod Matriarch: Tini
Pod Members:
Males: Cal, Kibb, Temp, Afo, Tory, Boojie
Females: Aleta, Delfi, Rena, Vina, Tiva
Calves:
None at this Time
Dolphineers:
None at this Time
Pod Matriarch: Cass
Pod Members:
Males: Ajay, Mel, Teres, Loki, Aphro
Females: Sandi, Josi, Tursi, Italia, Lottie
Calves:
Biz (Male - Ajay and Sandi's Calf)
Angie (Female - Loki and Tursi's Calf)
Dolphineers:
None at this Time
From Earth to Pern
The original colonists to Pern brought along twenty-five mentasynth-enhanced, Bottlenose dolphins in special cryogenic tanks aboard the Bahrain. All twenty-five of the original dolphins had been volunteers, eager to leave the polluted oceans of Earth for the clean seas of a new world. Prior to their departure on the Bahrain each dolphin had agreed to what came to be known as the Dolphin Contract (see the Dolphineers Page). Like the human settlers, each dolphin had been given a clean genetic bill of health so that though their gene pool was small, future generations would have the best possible chance of avoiding birth defects and certain kinds of illness.The senior dolphin was a female name Teresa and her pod included Kibby, Amadeus, Aphrodite, China, Captiva, Sandman, Oregon, Cass, Olga, Pha, Atlanta, Tory, Maximillian, Carolina, Dart, Italia, Malawi, Bessie, Lottie and five others. These original dolphins, once released into the oceans after their cryogenic sleep, immediately went to work exploring their new home and helping the humans map out the coastline and watch for dangers when sailing. They also assisted the scientists in the capture of the native sea life for study, and reported on what they couldn't catch as well as the duties that they had agreed to in the Dolphin Contract.
Over the eight years prior to the first Threadfall over landing, the dolphin population grew to nearly two-hundred members and Cass had moved a subsidiary pod into the Eastern waters near Young Mountain. As their numbers continued to grow, more pods were formed and they established friendly competitions between them to help keep them sharp. They worked closely with their human partners and the sailors for several years afterward. It was here on Pern that the dolphins developed the tradition of meeting one a year in the Western Sea for a sort of 'delphinic Gather'. At the beginning of each gathering, the dolphins would sing the Name Song to honor the original twenty-five dolphins who traveled to Pern. It was at these gatherings that young dolphins would undertake their 'coming of age' challenge and try to cross the Great Subsidary. Not all young dolphins survived this. It was also at these gatherings that The Tillek would select young dolphins to learn from her directly. However, this peaceful existence would be disrupted in about two and a half year's time.
The Dunkirk Crossing
About ten years after Landing, the volcanoes, Mounts Garben and Piccu, began showing signs of activity and plans for evacuation were set in motion. When it became clear that it was Mount Garben that was going to blow, the planned evacuation of Landing was set in motion. Dolphins were enlisted to help move supplies from Manaco Wharf to Kahrain or Paradise River Hold where they would be loaded into ships and sailed across to the Northern Continent and Fort Hold. The Dolphin's undertook the task with enthusiasm and turned the somber work into a competition to see who could haul the heaviest loads.Over the next couple of days, Dolphins took turns hauling barges, rafts and loose cargo from Manaco to their designated drop-off location in Kahrain. When Garben and Picchu did finally blow, most of the priority packages had been moved and all that was left was to cross the Southern Sea with ships loaded down with materials and people. As the ships sailed along the coast of the Southern Continent, the dolphins escorted them, keeping an eye out for ships in distress so that they might bring a human companion or two over to assist. The Dolphins were split into two groups to escort the two group of ships that sailed along the Southern Coastline. A smaller group of two pods went ahead with the larger, faster craft while a larger group of dolphins escorted the smaller, slower craft. The dolphins outdid themselves rescuing shipwrecked crews and salvaging what supplies they could after a surprise squall near Boca and Sadrid. Many sailors in that group of smaller vessels thanked the dolphins for their quick reactions, resulting in no loss of life and very little loss of cargo.
The rest of the crossing was made with no major incidents and the ships, along with their Dolphin escorts, reached Fort Hold. In the following years, the humans began settling Fort Hold and Weyr and eventually branched out into new holds and Weyrs as the population grew. Dolphineers and their Dolphin partners still scouted Pern's seas but Thread, plagues and other such things not only killed hundreds but meant there was less and less time for Dolphineering and the dolphins were eventually forgotten. Over the centuries, the dolphins of Pern continued to grow and uphold their end of the Dolphin Contract, hoping one day that man would remember their agreement and there would once again be Dolphineers to uphold man's end of the Dolphin Contract.
Dolphin Physiology
Physically, the dolphins have not changed much from their Terran ancestors. They have a streamlined body for easy and fast movement through water the hairless skin is rubbery and smooth to the touch. Humans can most easily identify individual dolphins by the shape of their dorsal fins and color and scar patterns on their skin. Above the upper jaw is a large mass of fat and oil-containing tissue forming the melon that looks much like a bulging forehead. The anterior appendages contain the skeletal remnants of five digits that form the flippers, which they use primarily as stabilizers, although occasionally in an oar like fashion. The hind appendages are virtually absent and consist of a pair of small pelvic bones, deeply embedded in the connective tissue at the base of the tail. The dorsal fin is formed from subcutaneous dermal tissue and is not movable by muscle action. The caudal, or tail fin is also primarily dermal in origin, rather than skeletal, and consists of a pair of horizontally extending flukes. Their main thrust comes from vertical oscillations of the tail and flukes. The most efficient traveling speed for dolphins is about four to five miles per hour. Fast cruising speed (which they can maintain for quite a while) is about seven to eight miles per hour. When they move faster, they will start jumping clear of the water (porpoising). They are actually saving energy by jumping (air offers less resistance than water) and can reach speeds of sixteen to twenty miles per hour by leaping for about one mile. It is possible that they can reach even higher speeds during very short bursts (such as in preparation for a high jump), but they can't maintain that speed.
Despite their apparent similarity to fish, dolphins are warm-blooded mammals who need to breathe air to survive, give birth to their young and nurse them with milk (call a dolphin a 'shipfish' and he or she will correct you!). The breathe through a blowhole, situated almost directly on top of the head. Dolphins are 'conscious breathers' who, unlike humans, need to stay awake to keep breathing. If they need to rest, they float close to the water surface, sometimes swimming along very slowly, and one side of their brain always stays awake to control breathing while the other side relaxes. Often they will close one eye during these times. They nap like this for numerous short periods throughout the 24-hour cycle, in contrast to humans sleeping trough several hours at night. Pern's dolphins have always been puzzled by the concept of the Great Sleep taught to them by their elders. The idea that their ancestors slept for fifteen years in cryogenic tanks before reaching the planet is as alien to them as the concept of space travel itself. The dolphin normally comes to the surface to breathe about every two minutes, and each breath consists of a short, almost explosive exhalation, followed by a slightly longer inhalation. Dolphins can hold their breath for up to fifteen minutes and are capable of rapid and deep dives of more then 1,000 ft though they prefer shallower dives to more easily get back to the surface to breathe.
Dolphins have only one set of evenly cone-shaped teeth for their whole life. The teeth break through around the fifth to sixth week after birth. They are used predominantly to catch and hold the prey, which is then usually swallowed whole or in chunks. It is possible to tell a dolphin's age by counting the rings on its teeth, similar to counting the rings on a tree trunk. In older dolphins, the teeth might be worn down, making it hard for the dolphin to hunt successfully
Dolphins are also capable of 'seeing' their surroundings even in complete darkness through sound echoes reflected off obstacles in the water. They use this sonic radar to locate prey or navigate through murky waters, and supersonic bursts to stun fish. The dolphins of Pern also use their sonar to assist healers in detecting pregnancies, broken bones, or tumors in human patients. The sounds made by a dolphin during echolocation sound like rapid clicks to the human ear. Many of the ultrasounds produced by dolphins, however, are inaudible for humans.
Besides sight and sound, dolphins might be able to sense changes in water pressure and currents through their sensitive skin as well as sense magnetic fields to help them navigate on a global scale. Dolphins have no sense of smell, but can taste differences in water composition.
Aside from body language, dolphins are very vocal creatures. Delphinic speech consists of all kinds of barks, squeaks, pops, moans, clicks, squees, trills, croaks, grunts and other sounds. Each dolphin has its own delphinic name in the form of a so-called "signature whistle". Dolphin calves learn their whistle from their mother. A good listener with knowledge of delphinic whistles might be able to tell from an individual's signature whistle in which pod that dolphin was born. The whistles can change over time. Dolphins interacting with humans learn their human partners' signal whistles.
It is possible for humans to learn to interpret delphinic speech. However, the mentasynth treatment also enabled the dolphins to learn, understand and use human speech. Pernese dolphins adopted names pronounceable in human language and formed the tradition of passing them on to their offspring. Thus, each dolphin on Pern also has a name in human speech aside from its delphinic whistle. Dolphins speaking human speech usually use simple, short sentences with many repetitions. 'This my fun. Not your fun' or 'much good eating soon' would be two examples of how a dolphin might speak.
Dolphins also create and use songs as a way of communicating and retelling amusing events, rescues, births, deaths, bits of pod history, and many other parts of sea life that they find interesting. These songs can be happy, funny, silly, or sad, and because sound carries well through the open and clear Pernese waters, can sometimes be heard by humans (though not always understood -- that would take knowledge of delphinic language). As with human song on Pern, dolphin song is meant for both teaching (as in the Name Song) and entertainment. Dolphin song also has the capacity to travel for nearly a hundred miles. By relaying a message through a chain of pods, dolphins can quickly exchange news over long distances. A more specialized form of dolphin long-range communication is "sounding" (undersea sound waves) through sound channels. This technique enables dolphins to send supersonic messages over thousands of miles.
Despite their apparent similarity to fish, dolphins are warm-blooded mammals who need to breathe air to survive, give birth to their young and nurse them with milk (call a dolphin a 'shipfish' and he or she will correct you!). The breathe through a blowhole, situated almost directly on top of the head. Dolphins are 'conscious breathers' who, unlike humans, need to stay awake to keep breathing. If they need to rest, they float close to the water surface, sometimes swimming along very slowly, and one side of their brain always stays awake to control breathing while the other side relaxes. Often they will close one eye during these times. They nap like this for numerous short periods throughout the 24-hour cycle, in contrast to humans sleeping trough several hours at night. Pern's dolphins have always been puzzled by the concept of the Great Sleep taught to them by their elders. The idea that their ancestors slept for fifteen years in cryogenic tanks before reaching the planet is as alien to them as the concept of space travel itself. The dolphin normally comes to the surface to breathe about every two minutes, and each breath consists of a short, almost explosive exhalation, followed by a slightly longer inhalation. Dolphins can hold their breath for up to fifteen minutes and are capable of rapid and deep dives of more then 1,000 ft though they prefer shallower dives to more easily get back to the surface to breathe.
Hunting and Food
Although successful as solitary hunters, dolphins often hunt cooperatively and show a wide array of strategies with some pods developing specialized traditions depending on their habitat. These include herding fish into tidal flats up to the point where the dolphins beach themselves to catch the stranded fish, corralling fish by encircling them and trapping them against the water surface, fluke-splashing the water surface to startle fish out of hiding places in shallow waters, stunning fish by sonar bombardment or fluke-whacking, the use of tools to flush out hidden prey, and cooperating with human fishermen. An adult dolphin's diet includes fish as well as other seafood like squid, shrimp or spiderclaws and drowned Thread (though many dolphins comment that it lacks substance and they prefer to eat the fish that swarm to the surface to eat the drowned Thread).Dolphins have only one set of evenly cone-shaped teeth for their whole life. The teeth break through around the fifth to sixth week after birth. They are used predominantly to catch and hold the prey, which is then usually swallowed whole or in chunks. It is possible to tell a dolphin's age by counting the rings on its teeth, similar to counting the rings on a tree trunk. In older dolphins, the teeth might be worn down, making it hard for the dolphin to hunt successfully
Senses
Oceanic dolphins, such as the blue and bottlenosed dolphins brought to Pern, can see equally well under water as above water, but only with very limited color vision. Their eyes are highly sensitive to the blue part of the color spectrum and possess "mirror cells" to amplify the low light levels at night or in deep water, giving them the appearance to glow like feline eyes in the dark. Their pupils can open and close independently from each other so that a dolphin swimming on its side can keep one eye on the dark ground below while the other is scanning the bright sky above and see equally well with both at the same time. Under water and at night, a dolphin's vision is far superior to human eyes.Dolphins are also capable of 'seeing' their surroundings even in complete darkness through sound echoes reflected off obstacles in the water. They use this sonic radar to locate prey or navigate through murky waters, and supersonic bursts to stun fish. The dolphins of Pern also use their sonar to assist healers in detecting pregnancies, broken bones, or tumors in human patients. The sounds made by a dolphin during echolocation sound like rapid clicks to the human ear. Many of the ultrasounds produced by dolphins, however, are inaudible for humans.
Besides sight and sound, dolphins might be able to sense changes in water pressure and currents through their sensitive skin as well as sense magnetic fields to help them navigate on a global scale. Dolphins have no sense of smell, but can taste differences in water composition.
Communication
Touch plays an important role in dolphin-dolphin interactions. Young calves stay in close contact to their mothers. Dolphins often deliberately brush against each other, using their flippers or beaks to stroke or nuzzle each other. Two dolphins meeting each other often rub their pectoral fins together as a form of greeting (a delphinic hug or handshake so-to-speak). Dolphins might also "hold hands" while swimming, indicating their friendship. Aside from friendly contact, dolphins also use touch in aggressive ways in the form of biting, tooth-raking, head-butting and ramming.Aside from body language, dolphins are very vocal creatures. Delphinic speech consists of all kinds of barks, squeaks, pops, moans, clicks, squees, trills, croaks, grunts and other sounds. Each dolphin has its own delphinic name in the form of a so-called "signature whistle". Dolphin calves learn their whistle from their mother. A good listener with knowledge of delphinic whistles might be able to tell from an individual's signature whistle in which pod that dolphin was born. The whistles can change over time. Dolphins interacting with humans learn their human partners' signal whistles.
It is possible for humans to learn to interpret delphinic speech. However, the mentasynth treatment also enabled the dolphins to learn, understand and use human speech. Pernese dolphins adopted names pronounceable in human language and formed the tradition of passing them on to their offspring. Thus, each dolphin on Pern also has a name in human speech aside from its delphinic whistle. Dolphins speaking human speech usually use simple, short sentences with many repetitions. 'This my fun. Not your fun' or 'much good eating soon' would be two examples of how a dolphin might speak.
Dolphins also create and use songs as a way of communicating and retelling amusing events, rescues, births, deaths, bits of pod history, and many other parts of sea life that they find interesting. These songs can be happy, funny, silly, or sad, and because sound carries well through the open and clear Pernese waters, can sometimes be heard by humans (though not always understood -- that would take knowledge of delphinic language). As with human song on Pern, dolphin song is meant for both teaching (as in the Name Song) and entertainment. Dolphin song also has the capacity to travel for nearly a hundred miles. By relaying a message through a chain of pods, dolphins can quickly exchange news over long distances. A more specialized form of dolphin long-range communication is "sounding" (undersea sound waves) through sound channels. This technique enables dolphins to send supersonic messages over thousands of miles.
Dolphin Psychology
Dolphins are nature's born humorists as described by Captain James Tillek, one of Pern's first Dolphineers. Working for humans is play to the dolphin; give them a task to do and they're likely to turn it into a game or a contest. They're constantly smiling and you're not likely to ever hear a dolphin complaining about the tasks they're doing. If a dolphin does complain, it's most likely to be about the lack of fish in an area he or she is inhabiting and never the lack of fun games to play.
Bowriding (riding the bow wave of a ship) is a favorite pastime for daring dolphins and probably just effortless fun for them. They can glide under the surface, popping up to breathe, and be pushed along by the force of the water without using much energy. Such a free ride is not without risk of injury, and pregnant females or mothers with young calves will prefer to keep their distance. Wakeriding (riding in the frothy wake of a ship) is a similarly favorite pastime and probably the delphinic equivalent to taking a bubble bath. Sometimes dolphins will breach the water surface, falling back sideways, backwards or even with a belly flop in a big splash. This could serve to communicate their location to others, as part of a hunting strategy, to dislodge parasites, or simply for fun.
Dolphins are also highly social creatures and live in family groups called pods. These pods are dynamic and include typically around twelve to fifteen individuals, but can grow as large as forty members. The pods will often engage in friendly competitions with one another to keep sharp and have a bit of fun. Dolphin calves stay with their mothers for at least three to five years. Over this time, they are rasied, cared for, protected and taught by all the members of his or her birth pod. This childhood time is important for the young dolphins to learn social and feeding skills in the safety of their mother's pod. Dolphins in this age range are rarely able to fend for themselves without the help of others. When they are old enough, their podmates begin teaching them the dolphin history and how to uphold the dolphin's part of the Dolphin Contract.
Bowriding (riding the bow wave of a ship) is a favorite pastime for daring dolphins and probably just effortless fun for them. They can glide under the surface, popping up to breathe, and be pushed along by the force of the water without using much energy. Such a free ride is not without risk of injury, and pregnant females or mothers with young calves will prefer to keep their distance. Wakeriding (riding in the frothy wake of a ship) is a similarly favorite pastime and probably the delphinic equivalent to taking a bubble bath. Sometimes dolphins will breach the water surface, falling back sideways, backwards or even with a belly flop in a big splash. This could serve to communicate their location to others, as part of a hunting strategy, to dislodge parasites, or simply for fun.
Dolphins are also highly social creatures and live in family groups called pods. These pods are dynamic and include typically around twelve to fifteen individuals, but can grow as large as forty members. The pods will often engage in friendly competitions with one another to keep sharp and have a bit of fun. Dolphin calves stay with their mothers for at least three to five years. Over this time, they are rasied, cared for, protected and taught by all the members of his or her birth pod. This childhood time is important for the young dolphins to learn social and feeding skills in the safety of their mother's pod. Dolphins in this age range are rarely able to fend for themselves without the help of others. When they are old enough, their podmates begin teaching them the dolphin history and how to uphold the dolphin's part of the Dolphin Contract.
The Dolphin Pods
Central Pod
Pod Matriarch: Malawi
Pod Members:
Males: Amadeus, Dart, Maxim, Pha
Females: Alta, Inka, Cori, Tana, Leta, Natua
Calves:
Delta (Female - Dart and Leta's Calf)
Dolphineers:
None at this Time
Western Pod
Pod Matriarch: Tini
Pod Members:
Males: Cal, Kibb, Temp, Afo, Tory, Boojie
Females: Aleta, Delfi, Rena, Vina, Tiva
Calves:
None at this Time
Dolphineers:
None at this Time
Eastern Pod
Pod Matriarch: Cass
Pod Members:
Males: Ajay, Mel, Teres, Loki, Aphro
Females: Sandi, Josi, Tursi, Italia, Lottie
Calves:
Biz (Male - Ajay and Sandi's Calf)
Angie (Female - Loki and Tursi's Calf)
Dolphineers:
None at this Time