Bottlenose dolphins are marine mammals closely related to whales and porpoises. There are many species of dolphins and they are found worldwide. You can find them mostly in warm and temperate sea areas of relatively shallow water. They are carnivores that eat mostly fish and squid. Dolphins are social creatures and travel in groups called pods. Dolphins use echolocation to hunt, they make clicking sounds, then listen for return echos to determine the location and shape of potential food or other items in the area. Bottlenose dolphins communicate sound with squeaks and whistles emitted from their blowhole and also through body language by leaping from the water or slapping their tails on the water surface. These dolphins are known for their intelligence, it is suggested they have transmitted cultural knowledge across generations.

At the end of Kiawah Island in South Carolina, my friend and I were at the inlet waterway. The place was full of birds including great egret, snowy egret, a bald eagle and many shorebirds. We saw dolphins in this shallow area. While swimming back and forth, the dolphins were using echolocation to find schools of fish. Once they located the fish, they started to work them up the stretch of beach we were on, moving them closer to the shore. After rushing the fish with waves to the shore, the dolphins then beached themselves, the fish flew in the air and the dolphins lay on their sides, mouths open, waiting to catch the fish that came back down. We witnessed this amazing cycle twice.