Dolphin

+0.05 Jellyfish

**Dolphins** are available in almost every world after the first, but can't be found in Frigid worlds. They become available for purchase after researching Cetacean Awareness provided you have at least 10 fish and 50 sharks. Their description is "Pay a dolphin to help us catch fish. Prepare to put up with whining."

## Career Path

Dolphin jobs become available after researching Delphine Philosophy. The positions are Dolphin Philosopher and Dolphin Treasurer. Treasurers produce crystal faster than any other position in the game, topped only by crystal miners. Philosopher is a research position.

30 Fish
10 Coral
 Dolphin Treasurer | 1 Dolphin
20 Fish
20 Crystals
+2 Coral

## Laboratory Research

There are 3 upgrades that can be researched that are specific to only dolphins, 1 generic upgrade that affects dolphin income, 3 upgrades to dolphin technology and 2 upgrades specific to all cetaceans. The research listed below is available in every world and has an effect on dolphins and their jobs:

The hunter-gatherer lifestyle will only work so well for us. Maybe we should gather these animals in one place and let them grow.
1K Sand

The following research is available in every world besides Starter and Frigid:

## Story

Warning: This section includes speculation, as canon answers don't yet exist.

```
The dolphin pods that work with us speak of an star-spanning empire of their kind.
They ask where our empire is. And they smile. (Fetch 5 dolphins)
```

Assuming they aren't liars as well as braggarts, the dolphins are one of the most advanced species in the game. They've developed technology capable of research, which is more than the sharks have been able to manage. They've also mastered intergalactic travel, built an empire, and discovered a method of transportation similar to the Gateway. All of these incredible accomplishments are in the past, though, as an unknown threat toppled their empire and forced them into strange worlds.

Although dolphins and sharks are natural enemies their technologies are roughly the same according to the log. It's clear though that the dolphins have more of an eye to design, as the log mentions the elaborate structures and complexity. That complexity seems to extend to their architecture, as the research required to make their living spaces refers to halls.

Unfortunately they do appear to be unnecessarily smug.

## Species List

* short finned pilot whale
* pantropical dolphin
* long-finned pilot whale
* hourglass dolphin
* bottlenose dolphin
* striped dolphin
* pygmy killer whale
* irrawaddy dolphin
* dusky dolphin
* clymene dolphin
* black dolphin
* southern right-whale dolphin
* rough toothed dolphin
* short beaked common dolphin
* pacific white-sided dolphin
* long-snouted spinner dolphin
* long-beaked common dolphin
* atlantic white sided dolphin
* atlantic hump-backed dolphin
* atlantic spotted dolphin

## Trivia

There is a large variety of animals defined as 'dolphins'. The taxonomic family Delphinidae refers only to oceanic dolphins. There are 4 families of river dolphins, and 6 species of oceanic dolphin that are more commonly refered to as whales or "blackfish". These 6 species are the melon-headed whale, killer whale (or orca), pygmy killer whale (which is one of the species listed above), false killer whale, long-finned pilot whale and short-finned pilot whale (the latter 2 of which are also listed above).

The references to Dolphins having an an intergalactic empire and the description of the Dolphin Migrator artifact are references to Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". In the book, the Dolphins were secretly an advanced race who was capable of leaving Earth under their own power just before it was destroyed by the Vogons.

1. ↑ Story: Stranger Oceans
2. ↑ Artifacts: Dolphin Migrator
3. ↑ Artifacts: Totem of Dolphin
4. ↑ Artifacts: Totem of Inspiration
5. ↑ Laboratory: Coral Halls
6. ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica: Dolphin