The Cetaceans – Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises – have captured the imaginations of humans today like few other creatures have. I too have become fascinated and enchanted with these oceanic mammals, and devoted a great deal of time to learning about them. In the process, I have become nearly as interested in the different ways that they are percieved and related to by human people, and I offer that as an explanation for the diversity of my weblinks.
This collection is the third generation of my original page of cetacean links, begun when I was 14 and updated periodically for years. The web has expanded remarkably since I first got on-line, and my knowledge of dolphins has expanded similarily. The collection of links is now searchable as well as browsable, and much easier to update and maintain.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, other sources of cetacean links include Linkpage: Marine Mammals, which has many sites listed alphabetically, The Electronic Zoo: Marine Mammals, or Zeal.com’s Marine Mammal section.
I assume that because you have found your way to this website, dear reader, you too posses an interest in the cetaceans. What this interest may be, however, I have no way of knowing. With this in mind, I present to you a variety of paths for accessing further information on whales and dolphins.
If you don’t know much (and one never knows enough!) about dolphins, there are numerous resources available for learning more general information about members of the order Cetacea.
If you’re already fairly familiar with the creatures, you may want to find mailing lists, bulletin boards, and real-time chats for interacting with other dolphin fans. Along these lines, you may as well be interested in homepages belonging to dolphin lovers who may be interested in talking to people with common interests.
Netheads and dolphin fanboys/fangirls can obtain all manner of free dolphin goodies on-line, including such things as pet cyber dolphins, dolphin virtual postcards, free dolphin-related e-mail and webpage space, and dolphin screensavers. Humorous dolphin-related pages are also listed here.
Pictures, both photographs and works of art concerning dolphins, are much in demand. Whether you want to buy an expensive print to grace your domicile, download a free photograph to liven up a school report, or practice drawing the creatures in an effort to enhance your own creative impulses, your needs can be met on the world wide web.
Other forms of media are similarly readily available. Dolphin audio files in various formats will allow you to hear some of the clicks and whistles that various species of whales and dolphins produce. Dolphin animations and videoclips will allow you to observe their movements through their watery world.
For those interested in scientific investigation of these creatures of the sea, particularly those already engaged in or hoping to pursue a related career (as I am), dolphin research projects around the world, information on their discoveries and access to information on their papers and presentations and conferences are fascinating and valuable.
People who learn about and care about dolphins, whether artists, scientists, or simply fans, must eventually arrive at the difficult moral issues concerning cetaceans and the larger environment that they live in. What should humankind’s relationship be to the cetaceans? What should it be to the oceans in general? And what can be done to protect them both? Everyone has different ideas on these topics, and almost all of them are supported by some sort of organization dedicated to environmentalism, animal rights, and rehabilitation of injured/stranded wild cetaceans or the releasing of currently captive cetaceans into the wild.
Certainly not everyone is opposed to cetacean captivity. There are marine parks around the world that display dolphins. Whether you wish to visit these creatures or oppose their presense in buildings and tanks, find information on other trainers or resources for research programs, look here.
If you’d rather visit dolphins in the wild than in marine parks, ecotourism projects such as whale watching tours and wild dolphin swims abound all over the coastal world. These range in style, price, location, and ecological impact, so shop around.
Many people believe that dolphins are spiritual beings, and some go so far as to claim that they possess traits such as telepathy and the ability to shapeshift, and are attempting to contribute to humankind’s salvation and acceptance into galactic society.
There are also places where you can buy dolphin paraphenalia.
If you’re interested in anything even remotely cetacean-related, there’s an alphabetical list of every site in this collection.