Dolphin

Individual species may employ a number of methods of hunting:. Some players use leet, which is also referred to as "dewd" speak, and Internet slang is quite common among users of the game. There are no known reports of cannibalism amongst dolphins. Some terms like these, while coined in EverQuest, have migrated to other MMORPGs. The larger species, especially the orca, are capable of eating marine mammals, even large whales. One is the habit of calling monsters MOBs or mobs which is a contraction of Mobile Objects and stems from old text-based MUD's use of the term. Usually, the prey is swallowed whole. A number of terms used in-game have been coined by players from a wide variety of other MMORPGs or players of EverQuest specifically.

Some dolphins may take crustaceans. In-game chatting can practically be a foreign language to anyone who has not played it extensively. The dentition is adapted to the animals they hunt: Species with long beaks and many teeth forage on fish, whereas short beaks and lesser tooth count are linked to catching squid. While mostly consistent, there are also some differences in jargon between servers, and between the Asian, European and American gaming communities. Dolphins are predators, chasing their prey at high speed. For example, SoW (which stands for Spirit of Wolf, a popular spell which accelerates players' movement), and vernacular usages such as 'crack' or 'mind candy' which within the context of EQ refer to mana regeneration spells such as Clarity or KEI (an acronym for Koadic's Endless Intellect). Since dolphins spend most of their time below the surface in the wild, just tasting the water could act as a sense of smell. EverQuest carries an internal language and culture of its own, including a plethora of arcane abbreviations aiding communication between players.

However, they seem to lack a well-developed sense of smell, but they most likely can taste and do show preferences for certain kinds of fish. Although technically against the EULA, it is unlikely that you will be banned or otherwise punished for playing on an EMU, unless you admit to it, ingame, in front of Sony support staff. The dolphin's sense of touch is also well-developed. It has not gained the same popularity as server emulators for Ultima Online. Hearing is also used for echolocation which seems to be an ability all dolphins have. Running such an emulator is a violation of EQ's end user license agreement and could result in a player being banned from Sony's EverQuest servers if caught doing so. Though they have a small ear opening on each side of their head it is believed hearing underwater is also if not exclusively done with the lower jaw which conducts the vibrations to the middle ear via a fat filled cavity in the lower jaw bone. Fans have created the open source server emulator EQEmu, allowing users to run their own servers with custom rules.

Most dolphins have acute eyesight both in and out of the water and their sense of hearing is far above our own. Champions of Norrath, the d20 tabletop RPG EverQuest Role-Playing Game, several books, and player gatherings (Fan Faires) have also been spawned from EverQuest. Compare also: whale behavior. EverQuest II, a sequel to EverQuest, was launched in November 2004. She most likely died of self induced asphyxiation in the presence of her trainer Richard O'Barry.[1]. EverQuest Online Adventures, released in February 2003, is an MMORPG for the PlayStation 2 console. Probably one of the best known cases of dolphin suicide is that of a dolphin named Cathy, one of the bottlenose dolphins that performed in the television series Flipper. After many months of the "Legends" community pleading for communication with Sony about its future, nothing was said until a sudden announcement in December '05 that Sony was closing the EQ flagship server.

They either do so by repeatedly slamming their head against the pool walls or other solid objects or simply by not coming up for air anymore. Many players saw this as a way to charge players more money for a level of service which should have existed without the fee). In captivity, many dolphins seem to have committed suicide. Several servers have been introduced with alternate rule-sets, including one which allows player killing, another, Firiona Vie, that has a set of rules more friendly to role-playing (although it also contained other rule changes that also made it attractive to non-role-players which some argue defeated the purpose), and a premium flagship server titled Stormhammer Legends server (which, for a higher fee provided a greater level of in-game customer service. The technology to use sponges as mouth protection is not genetically inherited but a taught cultural behaviour. There are many spin-off products from EverQuest. Other than with primate simians, the knowledge to use a tool is mostly handed over only from mothers to daughters. See also: EverQuest timeline.

The animals break off sponges and put them onto their mouths thus protecting the delicate body part during their hunt for fish on the seabed. The EQ expansions to date:. In May 2005, researchers in Australia discovered a cultural aspect of dolphin behaviour: Some dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) teach their offspring to use a tool. Additionally, the game is updated regularly through downloadable patches. Such military dolphins, however, drew scrutiny during the Vietnam War when rumors circulated that dolphins were being trained to kill Vietnamese Skin Divers. Expansions are purchased separately and add significant content to the game (for example, new races, classes, continents, quests, and equipment). The military has employed dolphins for various purposes from finding mines to rescuing lost or trapped persons. There have been several expansions to the original game since release.

Dolphin/Human interaction is also employed in a curative sense at places where dolphins work with autistic or otherwise disabled children. Referring to a character in EverQuest as an eBay character or to an individual as an eBayer are derogatory comments used to suggest both that an individual did not develop his own character and that he has not learned how to properly play it. Dolphins trained to perform in front of an audience have become a favorite attraction in dolphinaria, for example SeaWorld. To a lesser extent this is also true of individuals who purchase equipment far stronger then they should reasonably have (known in-game as "twinks"), and pay for help from high level characters in order to raise a newly created character into high levels quickly with little risk (known as "power leveling" or simply "PL"). Because of their high capacity for learning, dolphins have been employed by humans for any number of purposes. Due to the difficulty in learning the role a specific class plays within a group, and of learning the best way to fulfil this role, individuals who purchase high level characters without prior playing experience with a similar character are considered sub-par to those who have developed characters normally. This leads to them staying with injured or ill fellows for support. It is now common to encounter an account on its second or third owner, especially in the higher end game.

However, the animals can establish strong bonds between each other. While Sony's official stance on EverQuest is still against real market transactions, any real enforcement of this faded years ago. Membership in schools is not rigid; interchange is common. [2]. They also use ultrasonic sounds for echolocation. At this point this system only applies to select EverQuest II servers; none of the pre-Station Exchange EverQuest II or EverQuest servers are affected. The individuals communicate using a variety of clicks, whistles and other vocalizations. The program facilitates buying in-game items for real money from fellow players for a nominal fee.

In places with a high abundance of food, schools can join temporarily, forming an aggregation called a superpod; such groupings may exceed 1000 dolphins. Sony officially discouraged the payment of real-world money for online goods until July 2005, when they launched Station Exchange. Dolphins are social animals, living in pods (also called "schools") of up to a dozen animals. A player could exchange a house in The Sims Online for EverQuest platinum pieces, depending solely on market laws of supply and demand. There are many stories of dolphins protecting shipwrecked sailors against sharks by swimming circles around the swimmers. Other firms, such as the Gaming Open Market, specialized in exchanging money between games. In return, in some cultures like in Ancient Greece they were treated with welcome; a ship spotting dolphins riding in their wake was considered a good omen for a smooth voyage. After some time, the firm moved to Mexico, as the salaries for Mexican players are far less.

They are also famous for their willingness to occasionally approach humans and playfully interact with them in the water. Black Snow Interactive was founded as a company that created characters, leveled them to make them powerful, and then resold the characters. Frequently dolphins will accompany boats, riding the bow waves. This led some gamers to start playing professionally, as after some hours of play they could earn income by selling off in-game items. They have even been seen harassing other creatures, like seabirds and turtles. dollar which is worth about 113 Yen), and its GDP per capita is higher than that of China and India. Play is a very important part of dolphins' lives and they can often be observed playing with seaweed or playfighting with other dolphins. The researchers discovered, to their surprise, that EQ's money was in fact more valuable than the Yen (although this is no longer the case; there are now about 2900 platinum to a U.S.

Perhaps they just do it for fun. This led some economists, among them Edward Castronova, to study the economics of EverQuest and other MMORPGs. They could also be communicating to other dolphins to join a hunt, or attempting to dislodge parasites. Because these items are also sold on eBay, an actual exchange rate between platinum pieces and real life dollars can be calculated. Scientists aren't quite certain about the purpose of this behavior, but it may be to locate schools of fish by looking at above water signs, like feeding birds. EverQuest has many in-game items that are hard to produce and/or to find, and most can be traded among players via the game's currency (platinum pieces). the spinner dolphin). Although it is true that some formerly-busy zones are now deserted, SOE continues to release expansion packs, and certain zones continue to be crowded during peak game-playing hours.

Dolphins often leap above the water surface, sometimes performing acrobatic figures (e.g. As it enters its seventh year, there is a perception among some longtime players that Everquest's best days are behind it, and indeed many have abandoned EQ in favor of some of the newer MMORPGs on the market, such as City of Heroes and World of Warcraft. See the Dolphin intelligence article for more details. [1] The studies make use of data gathered from player surveys and discuss topics like virtual relationships, player personalities, gender issues, and more. Straightforward comparisons of species' relative intelligence are complicated by differences in sensory apparatus, response modes, and nature of cognition; furthermore, the difficulty and expense of doing experimental work with a large marine animal mean that even such tests as can meaningfully be done have still not been done, or have been carried out with inadequate sample size and methodology. The sociological aspects of EverQuest (and other MMORPGs) are further explored in a series of online studies on a site known as "the HUB". However, experts in comparative psychology or animal cognition would be reluctant to make any such estimate, as quantitative comparisons of intelligence between species are notoriously difficult to make in principle. An infamous rant titled "EQ: What You Really Get From An Online Game" appeared on Slashdot in 2002, and brought this issue of EverQuest addiction to the forefront of many message boards across the Internet.

A typical statement would be that dolphins are roughly as intelligent as a two-year-old human. However, the same could be said for any other addictive and obsessive activity. Dolphins are widely believed to be amongst the most intelligent of all animals. The capacity of the game to absorb time and money, and to distract players from a possibly-dull life on the other side of the screen, are appealing features to its users. See individual species articles for details. Relationships broken because of obsessive playing resulted in the creation of an online support group called EverQuest Widows and sites like GamerWidow.com. It is often combined with lines and patches of different hue and contrast. EQ is very time-consuming for many people, and there have been some well-publicized suicides of EverQuest users, such as that of Shawn Woolley.

The basic coloration patterns are shades of gray with a light underside and a distinct dark cape on the back. Many refer to it half-jokingly as "NeverRest" and "EverCrack" (a reference to crack cocaine). Their teeth are arranged in a way that works as an array or antenna focusing the incoming sound, making it easier for them to pinpoint the exact location of an object. The game is renowned and berated (by some psychologists specializing in computer addiction) for its addictive qualities. The dolphin brain is large and has a highly structured cortex, which often is referred to in discussions about their high intelligence. Monotonous in-game-activities are referred to as timesinks. Teeth can be very numerous (up to 250) in several species. Some gamers have nicknamed it "LevelQuest", implying that the purpose of the game is to only acquire levels.

In many species, the jaws are elongated, forming a distinct beak; for some species like the Bottlenose, there is a curved mouth that looks like a fixed smile. Critics of EQ's overall design deride it as "simplistic", and this has led to a satirical game called Progress Quest to appear on the Internet. The head contains the melon, a round organ used for echolocation. Gordon Wrinn ("Abashi") was the spokesperson of Verant, followed by Alan VanCouvering ("Absor") for SOE; a team now presents plans to the players. Dolphins have a fusiform body, adapted for fast swimming. Changes in management have caused changes in company-to-customer representatives who defend or promote said policies. See evolution of cetaceans for the details. Patches have stopped some of the most serious cheats, but controversy also surrounds SOE's policies, once seen as heavy-handed and subjective, now generally perceived as lighter than deserved in many instances.

They entered the water roughly 50 million years ago. The game has always had problems with exploiting, cheating, and hacking. Modern dolphin skeletons have two small rod shaped pelvic bones thought to be left-over hind legs. For a time, such auctions were immediately removed, which created market conditions that allowed a number of upstart auction sites to specialize in this new virtual economy. Dolphins, along with whales and porpoises, are descendants of land-living mammals, most likely of the Artiodactyl order. The developers of EQ have always forbidden the practice and in January 2001 asked eBay to stop listing such auctions. See also wolphin. One example involves the sale of in-game objects for real currency (often through eBay).

There has also been a reported hybrid between a beluga and a narwhal. EverQuest has lived through its share of controversy, much of it shared by the entire MMORPG genre. Dall's Porpoises and Harbour Porpoises have hybridized in the wild. These zones represent a wide variety of geographical features, including plains, oceans, cities, deserts, and other planes of existence. Blue Whales, Fin Whales and Humpback Whales all hybridize in the wild. The EverQuest universe is divided into nearly 400 zones. In the wild, bands of males of one dolphin species have been observed to mate with lone female Spinners. As of 2004, Sony reports subscription numbers close to 450,000.

In the wild, Spinner Dolphins have sometimes hybridised with Spotted Dolphins and Bottlenose Dolphins. Numbers continued rising at a steady rate until mid-2001 when growth slowed. In captivity, a Bottlenose Dolphin and a Rough-Toothed Dolphin produced hybrid offspring. By the end of the year, it had surpassed the leading competitor, Ultima Online in number of subscriptions. This mating has since been repeated in captivity and a hybrid calf was born. EverQuest launched with some technical difficulties on March 16, 1999 but quickly became successful. In 1933, three strange dolphins were beached off the Irish coast; these appeared to be hybrids between Risso's Dolphin and the Bottlenose Dolphin. Sony Online Entertainment later purchased Verant, and SOE runs and distributes EverQuest currently.

They are sometimes called "blackfish":. 989 Studios funded development and initially published the game, before Verant Interactive took management after 989 Studios unilaterally canceled all of its PC projects. Six animals in the family Delphinidae are commonly called "whales" but are strictly speaking dolphins. The idea of the "MMORPG" (Massive Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game) is credited to Ultima Online, the first of its genre. . Many other people have worked on EverQuest through the many updates and expansion packs that have been released as the service has operated continually since 1999. The family Delphinidae is the largest in the Cetacea, and relatively recent: dolphins evolved about 10 million years ago, during the Miocene. While the original concept is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost, much of the original product design was done by Brian Canary, Ryan Palacio, Roger Uzun and Geoffrey "GZ" Zatkin.

They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and all are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid. . Most species weigh about 50 to 200 kg (110 to 440 lb). Less skilled guilds may take as many as a hundred tries to beat the same event, if they are able to accomplish it at all, due to the level of strategy and teamwork required to defeat modern EverQuest encounters. They vary in size from 1.2 m (4 ft) and 40 kg (88 lb) (Maui's Dolphin), up to 9.5 m (30 ft) and 10 tonnes (the Orca). Some of the most complex 'modern' raid events can take a very experienced guild dozens of attempts before they succeed. There are almost 40 species of dolphin in 17 genera. As EverQuest has aged, tactics have become more and more involved.

Orcas and some related species belong to the Delphinidae family and therefore qualify as dolphins, even though they are called whales in common language. Zerging (A term that comes from another popular computer game, Starcraft) is when a raid's main strategy is to overwhelm an enemy by sheer force of numbers. Porpoises (suborder Odontoceti, family Phocoenidae) are thus not dolphins in our sense. Normally the number of players range from 36 to 72, limiting factors being the maximum number of people allowed in a "raid window" (72) and the maximum number of people allowed in certain instanced zones in more recent expansions. In this article, the second definition is used. A large force of gamers gathered together to perform one task, is referred to as a "raid". It can mean:. Most parts of the game can be completed with small groups of up to six or so people, but the most challenging (and rewarding) encounters require the cooperation of many players, possibly totalling 72 players, although the trend in recent expansions tends towards 54 as a maximum.

The word is used in a few different ways. A single character will be unable to complete many of the encounters in EverQuest. "a 'fish' with a womb". While some parts of EverQuest can be experienced alone, without the help of other players, EQ generally remains a very group-centric game. The name is from Ancient Greek δελφίς delphis meaning "with a womb", viz. Beyond that, a player can explore the large world, socialize, role-play, join player guilds, master trade skills, and duel other players (in restricted situations — EQ only allows Player versus Player (PvP) combat on the PvP-specific server, in designated arenas, or in a consensual duel in a limited number of locations. Dolphins are aquatic mammals related to whales and porpoises. The main aspect of gameplay involves grouping with fellow players to kill monsters for experience and gear.

In the William Gibson short story Johnny Mnemonic and the film by the same name (starring Keanu Reeves), cyborg dolphins were used in war-time by the military to find submarines and, after the war, by a group of revolutionaries to decode encrypted information. After selecting a server, a player can create multiple characters by choosing from a variety of classes and races (e.g., humans, gnomes, trolls, halflings, elves, etc.). One of the mates of the ship is named Akeakamai, in honor of the real-life dolphin from Louis Herman's animal language research. Multiple instances of the world exist on various servers, each one hosting between 1000 and 3000 simultaneous players online during peak times. In the book Startide Rising by author David Brin, the spaceship Streaker is manned by neo-dolphins (dolphins genetically engineered to match human intelligence). The geography of the EverQuest universe is vast—few have visited all of the nearly 400 zones. In one scene, the dolphins' misbehavior elicits the following quote from Zissou: "Son of a bitch, I'm sick of these dolphins.". The game features a rich 3D environment set in the fictional world of Norrath, its moon Luclin and alternate planes of reality.

In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, marine researcher Zissou (played by Bill Murray) has trained reconaissance dolphins which apparently are temperamental and rarely follow their instructions. Many of the elements from EverQuest have also been drawn from text-based MUD (multi-user dungeon) games, especially DikuMUD. In seaQuest, Darwin the dolphin could communicate with English speakers using a vocoder, an invention that translated the clicks and whistles to English and back. In structure and rules, the game is a direct descendant of the famed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Mike and the 'Bots then quickly apoligize. Players can also procure powerful items for their characters in a variety of ways: through slaying monsters (and then looting whatever items they were carrying), doing "quests" (tasks and adventures given by non-player characters ( NPCs ) in which a reward is given upon success), or by gathering raw materials and then fashioning them, via numerous trade skills such as tailoring or blacksmithing, into useful (or not-so-useful, but nevertheless fun) items. While doing so, the SOL gets blasted by a ship that turns out to be piloted by dolphins. As they progress, players advance in level, gaining power, prestige and abilities.

In the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode "Devil Fish," Mike and the 'Bots mock dolphins. In the game, players explore a Tolkienesque fantasy world of sword and sorcery, fighting monsters and enemies for treasure and experience points and interacting with other players. Their logo depicts an aqua-colored bottlenose dolphin wearing an American football helmet and jumping in front of a coral-colored sunburst. EverQuest was, for a time, the most popular MMORPG in the industry. An American National Football League (NFL) team is named the Miami Dolphins. To play, one must initially pay for the game software and then pay a recurring monthly fee; a free trial is also available for those who wish to experience the game before paying. A book called The Music of Dolphins was written by Karen Hesse, about a girl who had lived with dolphins since the age of four. SOE currently runs and distributes EverQuest.

Ecco the Dolphin stars in a series of games for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. It was developed by Verant Interactive (which had recently parted from 989 Studios) and published by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). After study at the Dolphins Plus research center in Key Largo, Florida, fantasy author Ken Grimwood wrote dolphins into his 1995 novel Into the Deep, including entire chapters written from the viewpoint of his dolphin characters. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost. See Races from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. EverQuest (EQ) is a 3D fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was released on March 16, 1999. Their story is told in So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish. 72–84.

However, their behavior was misinterpreted as playful acrobatics. Fortune, pp. In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, dolphins are the second most intelligent creatures on Earth (after mice) and tried in vain to warn humans of the impending destruction of the planet. "From Megs to Riches". The television show was based on a 1963 film, and remade as a feature film in 1996 starring Elijah Wood and Paul Hogan (actor), as well as a television series running from 1995-2000 starring Jessica Alba. 28, 2005). The popular television show Flipper, created by Ivan Tors, portrayed a dolphin in a friendly relationship with two boys, Sandy and Bud; a kind of sea going Lassie, Flipper understood English unusually well and was a marked hero: "Go tell Dad we're in trouble, Flipper! Hurry!" The show's theme song contains the lyric no one you see / is smarter than he. Parloff, Roger (Nov.

Foraging - A recent study reported that wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops) in Western Australia use sponges to forage in the sea bed for food.[2]. Prophecy of Ro (announced) (February 2006). Stunning - using the echolocation melon, very loud clicks are directed at prey, stunning them. Depths of Darkhollow (September 2005). Fish Wacking - where the dolphin uses its fluke to strike the fish, stunning it and sometimes sending it clear out of the water. Dragons of Norrath (February 2005). Corralling - where fish are chased to shallow water where they are more easily captured. Omens of War (September 2004).

Herding - where a superpod will control a school of fish while individual members take turns plowing through the herd, feeding. Gates of Discord (February 2004). Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus. Lost Dungeons of Norrath (September 2003). Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas. The Legacy of Ykesha (March 2003). False Killer Whale, Psudoorca crassidens. The Planes of Power (October 2002).

Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata. The Shadows of Luclin (December 2001). Killer Whale, Orcinus orca. The Scars of Velious (December 2000). Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephalia electra. The Ruins of Kunark (March 2000). La Plata Dolphin (Franciscana), Pontoporia blainvillei.

Genus Pontoporia

. Indus River Dolphin, Platanista minor. Ganges River Dolphin, Platanista gangetica. Genus Platanista
.

Chinese River Dolphin (Baiji), Lipotes vexillife. Genus Lipotes

. Boto (Amazon River Dolphin), Inia geoffrensis. Genus Inia
.

Family Platanistoidea, River Dolphins

. Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus. Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas. Genus Globicephala
.

False Killer Whale, Pseudorca crassidens. Genus Pseudorca

. Pygmy Killer Whale, Feresa attenuata. Genus Feresa
.

Killer Whale, Orcinus orca. Genus Orcinus

. Melon-headed Whale, Peponocephalia electra. Genus Peponocephalia
.

Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris. Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni. Genus Orcaella

. White-Beaked Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus albirostris.

Peale's Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus australis. Pacific White-Sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens. Hourglass Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger. Dusky Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obscurus.

Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin, Lagenorhynchus acutus. Genus Lagenorhyncus

. Fraser's Dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei. Genus Lagenodelphis
.

Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus. Genus Grampus

. Hector's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus hectori. Heaviside's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii.

Commerson's Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii. Chilean Dolphin, Cephalorhynchus eutropia. Genus Cephalorynchus

. Rough-Toothed Dolphin, Steno bredanensis.

Genus Steno

. Striped Dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba. Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris. Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, Stenella attenuata.

Clymene Dolphin, Stenella clymene. Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, Stenella frontalis. Genus Stenella

. Atlantic Humpbacked Dolphin, Sousa teuszii.

Chinese White Dolphin (the Chinese variant), Sousa chinensis chinensis. Indo-Pacific Hump-backed Dolphin, Sousa chinensis

. Genus Sousa
. Tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis.

Genus Sotalia

. Southern Rightwhale Dolphin, Lissiodelphis peronii. Northern Rightwhale Dolphin, Lissodelphis borealis. Genus Lissodelphis
.

Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. Genus Tursiops

. Short-Beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus delphis. Long-Beaked Common Dolphin, Delphinus capensis.

Genus Delphinus

. Family Delphinidae, oceanic Dolphins
. Suborder Odontoceti, toothed whales
. Used casually as a synonym for Bottlenose Dolphin, the most common and familiar species of dolphin.

Any member of the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales; these include the above families and some others),. Any member of the families Delphinidae and Platanistoidea (oceanic and river dolphins),. Any member of the family Delphinidae (oceanic dolphins),.