British Virgin Islands 2006 - The Dolphin - Uncirculated Cupro Nickel Coin

The grace and beauty of the form and movement of the dolphin amazes us, their playful, curious nature charms us and their built in grin amuses us.  Found in virtually all seas and oceans of the world, there are over 50 species of Dolphin and much research is being undertaken to find out about these amazing creatures.  

The clicking sounds made by these endearing animals is a form of sonar.  Echoes from surrounding objects allow them to detect obstacles, other animals and matter in the water as their eyesight is not that good.  Dolphins need to be conscious in order to breathe, which means that they do not go into a deep sleep and studies have shown that they have the ability to let one half of their brain ‘sleep’ at a time.

This wonderful creature is used as motivation in rehabilitation programmes and swimming with Dolphins is seen as being very therapeutic and helps with learning difficulties and motivates disabled individuals.