Here at the Happy Herald, we listen to the conversations about town and have our own moral compass that is set straight, although we never feature any politics or religion; that is way too heated.
We set out to inspire our readers and to bring a few pages each month that cause you to pause, to reflect, to laugh and maybe to become a changemaker in your family and community. A good story may be shared, a joke retold or a smile – well that may travel around the world and help uplift someone far, far away.
Everything we think, do and say impacts the lives of many, so this month we’ll learn about BrightVibes, their stories, and with permission, a reprint of their inspirational, informational and educational article on Dolphins.
On a personal note: I was still in my single digit years when the television show, “Flipper,” aired from 1964-1967. Aside from the in-depth underwater photography, Flipper always caught the bad guys and exuded tremendous love. A few years ago, I wrote my bucket list and swimming with the dolphins was in the top three. Last year, I had that experience and as you can see from the picture, it was blissful. I literally had a transcendent moment. The touch of the dolphin gave me an appreciation for being alive and an understanding of my connection to life itself. I realized (i.e. saw with real eyes) the interconnectedness of life and the essence of our humanity. Although the dolphin kiss was just a moment or two – the awareness is forever. Have a cool July and be on the lookout for your own transcendent experiences!
Millions of people use the BrightVibes platform to exchange ideas, get new insights, sign on to become a volunteer, support crowd-funding to help individuals and organizations, and much more. Learn more at: www.brightvibes.com.
Ten Surprising Superpowers of Dolphins These extraordinarily intelligent creatures have been seen to display culture, use tools, and display altruism, traits long-thought to be unique to humans. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes
ADAPTING TO LIFE IN THE OCEAN REQUIRED SOME SERIOUS SKILLS FOR A MAMMAL
Dolphins have developed some incredible abilities that continue to amaze researchers:
1. Sleep: Everything needs to sleep, but dolphins have found a clever workaround. They shut down only half their brain at a time while the other half remains conscious and takes over all functions. What’s more, the mammals seem to be able to remain continually vigilant for sounds for days on end.
2. Vision: Besides sonar, which is itself pretty incredible, dolphins have excellent eyesight. A panoramic range of vision of 300° allows them to see in two directions at once and even behind themselves – both in and out of the water!
3. Super Skin: Dolphin skin grows about nine times faster than ours, and an entire layer of skin is replaced every two hours. Their skin secretes a special non-stick antibacterial gel to deter barnacles and parasites.
4. They rescue other species: There are many tales of dolphins helping humans in the high sea. Sometimes they’ll even go out of their way to help other aquatic species.
5. Respiration: Bottlenose dolphins can hold their breath for 12 minutes and dive to 550 meters (1800 feet) due to hyper-efficient lungs. Dolphins have more red blood cells with greater concentrations of hemoglobin than we do.
DOLPHIN SUPERPOWERS CONFOUND SCIENTISTS
6. Healing: Scientists are baffled by Dolphins’ ability to not only heal quickly but seemingly regenerate missing parts. And dolphins won’t bleed to death despite huge wounds, having the ability to constrict blood vessels to stem the flow.
7. Pain: Dolphins are as sensitive to pain as humans, but when inflicted with serious wounds scientists believe they are able to produce natural morphine-strength painkillers that are non-addictive.
8. Thrust: While an Olympic swimmer can produce around 60 or 70 pounds of thrust, a dolphin is capable of 300 to 400 pounds of thrust and is one of the ocean’s most efficient swimmers.
9. Infection: How dolphins are able to swim with open wounds in the bacteria-riddled ocean and not die of infection, scientists still don’t know for sure, but the best guess is that dolphins have managed to siphon off antibiotics made by plankton and algae.
10. Electroreception: Dolphins can actually sense the electrical impulses given off by all living things. They probably use this ability to hunt fish in turbid water and muddy sediments.
