Introduction

The dolphin1 has been depicted since the days of the ancient Greeks as an acoustically oriented animal. Aristotle noted that these animals squeaked and moaned when taken from their water (Reyesenback de Haan, 1957). The Greek poet-musician Arion was said to have attracted dolphins to his rescue from a mutinous crew by playing a song on a lyre (Bulfinch, 1986). These and other similar stories indicate that humans have been aware of the dolphins’ remarkable sound capabilities for some time. Today we know that dolphin vision is also well-developed, which complements the auditory capabilities of these animals (Madsen & Herman, 1980).