Artwork courtesy of learnrv.com.

People of many cultures who have lived near the sea and been exposed to dolphins and other marine mammals have had tales to tell. Legends and lore about dolphins offer fascinating looks at connections between our two species.

Throughout history, dolphins have been said to be a friend to humans. Stories of humans being rescued at sea, or being guided at sea by dolphins can be found in many cultures too.

Much has been written about anecdotal reports, ancient and recent, of interesting encounters between humans and dolphins.

Personal authentic experiences have been reported by many people about unique and significant interactions with dolphins.

And, some people have written about possible telepathy among dolphins, and between dolphins and human.

Although these reports often come from credible people, they are also difficult or impossible to verify scientifically.

Many scientists have researched dolphins, whales and other marine mammals. Probably the most well known of these is the late John C. Lilly, M.D. (1915-2001).

Lilly was a physician and psychoanalyst who focused on biophysics, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, electronics and computer theory. He also studied consciousness - human and dolphin consciousness.

The 1973 movie THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN was based on Lilly's work. George C. Scott starred as a character similar to Lilly.

The 1980 film ALTERED STATES was also based on Lilly's consciousness research.

Explaining his view of dolphins, whales and other cetaceans, he said, "They (cetaceans) have been on the planet now with brains our size or larger for 25 million years. We've only been here with our present brain size about two-tenths of a million years. So they've been here something on the order of 25 to 50 to 100 times the length of time we have."

Lilly authored many books on consciousness and other subjects which have been read by millions worldwide. These include MAN AND DOLPHIN and LILLY ON DOLPHINS: HUMANS OF THE SEA.

In his later years, Lilly lived on Maui, Hawaii, and spent much effort involved with dolphin research and understanding.

We now know that dolphins have a large brain dense with neurological wiring, comparable to the human brain. The functioning of the dolphin brain and entire neurological system has been studied extensively.

Research indicates that these creatures are highly intelligent and may possess powers of perception that humans do not yet fully understand.

But, maybe researchers have discovered more than the general public knows about.

Maybe the research by Drs. May and Pleass contains important insight into consciousness that seems especially crucial at this time.

The human-dolphin connection may be a type of inter-species relationship that has unique aspects. It might teach us about human beings and our often difficult human-caused problems on Earth.