Dolphin (Books)

Dolphins are mammals mentioned briefly in the How to Train Your Dragon Book series.

Description
Dolphins are water-dwelling mammals that are mid-size cetaceans - usually between the sizes of porpoises and that of whales. There is not a taxonomic group for dolphins, rather it is a non-scientific designation. There are a number of Families that are considered 'dolphins', including Delphinidae or Oceanic dolphins, Platanistidae or Indian river dolphins, Iniidae or New World river dolphins, and Pontoporiidae (the brackish dolphins).

All species called dolphins are strict water dwellers and can die if removed from water for long periods of time. They are, however, dependent on breathing air, and have a blowhole on the tops of their heads. Like all toothed cetaceans, dolphins possess a 'melon', and organ in their heads that sends out sound. The sound waves bounce off objects and head back toward the dolphin. This is a type of echolocation.

Function
In the Book series, Dolphins are a background creature. In reality, dolphins are eaten by humans, as well as kept in public aquariums for performance.

How to Train Your Dragon

 * Dolphins are mentioned when the Viking novices climb up to the Highest Point on the Isle of Berk to view the Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus dragons that had washed up on Berk's shores.

"The trail up to the Highest Point was littered with scallop shells and dolphins' bones thrown up by the gigantic storm."

- Book 1