A fin and a prayer

With their large brains, considerable capacity to learn, and propensity for interacting with humans, dolphins are undoubtedly among the most intelligent—and fascinating— of animals. Yet, given their nomadic lives in the ocean, they are difficult subjects to get to know. The bottlenose dolphins of Fiordland's Doubtful Sound, however, are a resident population, much studied by biologists from the University of Otago, who are starting to piece together the outlines of their mysterious lives.