Delphinidæ (DOLPHINS)

1. A family of toothed whales (denticete Cetacea ), having a conical, beak-like snout armed with pointed teeth. A dorsal fin is borne on the back and the caudal fin is transverse. The only other fins present are the pectorals. (A fish, Coryphœna, not a mammal, with brilliant colors, superficially shaped like the dolphin, but with no snout and with vertical caudal fin, is known by American sailors as the "Dolphin.") The true dolphin is especially numerous in the Mediterranean, following ships in flocks, averages 6 to 8 ft. in length, and has its blow-holes united on top of the head into one nasal aperture. See PORPOISE and GRAMPUS. Large and peculiar dolphins live in the Ganges and in the rivers of Bolivia.