#dolphin

Here’s a weird collection I’ve been amassing for something like two years now. It all started with Zarlax, on the far left. Zarlax, a being capable of bending time and space, was found lost and alone during a shopping trip one day. Or perhaps, he found me. Thus Zarlax became the founding member of this very odd army.

Starting from the left we have the titular Zarlax, a stout little man sporting stylish purple camo and a contrasting yellow streak on either side of his body. Capable of bending timespace.

To his left we have his partner, Cola, the second member of the army; predominantly red with white sides and underbelly. She doesn’t speak.

On top of Cola there’s the All-Seeing-Orca. Blue with white eyepatches, flank patches and underside, and flimsy felt flippers. They see all. It’s very stressful.

Here’s a picture of them getting a bath after bringing them home.

Next is the bruiser, Hot Rod. Blazing blue with sweet flames all over, she’s the biggest member of the Army. Don’t let her cute expression and kind blue eyes fool you, she WILL wreck your shit.

The pink fellow above Hot Rod is the mysterious, round, and fuzzy UFO. Mostly pink with ovular green, orange, and blue rings all over. We don’t know much about them other than the fact that they are round. So very round. Also they can hover.

Beneath UFO is Disco, in classic tie-dye. We don’t know much about him except that he loves weed.

At the end are the newest recruits, a mother and son. The pink gal is Peaches; she will shank you. On top is the little orange man. We don’t know his name yet.

How to join Zarlax’s Army:

1. Look like you came out of a crane machine or were won at an amusement park.
2. Be dolphin/whale shaped.
That’s it.

To end off here’s an accidental collection of Hot Rod’s associates that I’ve discovered in the wild; a snake and an alligator, found at the same store at different times. Also look like they came out of a crane machine. The snake required restuffing surgery and no longer has a floppy neck. Thus concludes the story of Zarlax (so far)

Common Facts:

Scientific name – Stenella longirostris

Diet – Small fish and squid

Size – 6-7 feet, 130-170 pounds

Lifespan – up to 20 years

Most of us are familiar with dolphins—the fun and playful porpoises that can often be seen leaping out of the water to socialize with each other and with humans. One type of dolphin that you may not be as familiar with is the Spinner Dolphin.

Spinner dolphins are named after their above the water theatrics—they love to leap out of the water and spin a few times on their body axis while doing so. Some can spin as many as four times around in one leap.

These dolphins love to stay together and are usually found in huge groups. They do their hunting at night, feeding mainly on mid-water fishes and deep-water squid, and then they rest during the day time.

Spinner dolphins can been found all over the world, mainly in tropical and subtropical oceans. For some reason, Spinners tend to follow groups of Yellowfin Tuna around. Because of this, fishermen seeking Tuna will often track the dolphins in order to get to them. Oftentimes, the dolphins are caught in the nets with the tuna, and because of this, their population is decreasing.

Thankfully, “Fishing methods for tuna imported into the U.S. under the Dophin-Safe program do not allow fishing practices, such as setting on dolphins.” The Spinner Dolphin population is at a stable number right now.

So if you are ever in a warm and tropical area, close to the ocean, stay alert to see if you can see any Spinner Dolphins. If you do, you are in for a show!

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Sources:http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/spinner-dolphin/

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/spinnerdolphin.htm

Written by: Kari Shirley, intern

I did it! I got some okay dolphin photos!

A sad end for such an amazing creature. Common dolphin washed up on the coast of Belfast Lough