Last evening, a dolphin and her calf cruised past our condo on Longboat Key. As I watched them move along the boat channel, they circled out toward an island of mangroves in Sarasota Bay. There they engaged in playful behavior for nearly a half hour, their dorsal fins and tails breaking the otherwise calm surface.
While all wild mammals care for their young, their interactions are primarily instinctual, even as they can be ferociously protective. In highly intelligent mammals however, true affection is often on display and I was fortunate to observe such a bond last evening.
We humans, inclined to feel superior to our wild neighbors, still admire such close relationships. The dolphins certainly brightened my day.
