Dolphins would think of themselves as being in the water, for sure...
But think of this. A human can be in the water, or *under* water, and they mean different things. (I think of in the water as specifically having parts above the surface, and more generally having bits of you or all of you covered in water; under water definitely implies submersion.) The key is that humans think of, and talk about, being partially or completely covered in water as a special case. To dolphins, that would be normal; they would have other special words for being partially or completely surrounded in *air*. So, they might think about being 'in the air' or 'above the water.' They do interact with the air - they have to - and generally do not seem to mind 'sticking a toe in' as it were, the same way we seem to enjoy playing in the water, but they can't stay there for too long.
Just stuff to think about.
Oh, on a semi-related note, there is much evidence to suggest that dolphins have a very keen sense of touch, especially in certain areas of their skin. They act like very touchy-feely humans; they touch up against one another a lot, in the way a human might glance over at a friend every now and then, or keep them in their peripheral vision.
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Date: 2005-07-14 06:06 pm (UTC)But think of this. A human can be in the water, or *under* water, and they mean different things. (I think of in the water as specifically having parts above the surface, and more generally having bits of you or all of you covered in water; under water definitely implies submersion.) The key is that humans think of, and talk about, being partially or completely covered in water as a special case. To dolphins, that would be normal; they would have other special words for being partially or completely surrounded in *air*. So, they might think about being 'in the air' or 'above the water.' They do interact with the air - they have to - and generally do not seem to mind 'sticking a toe in' as it were, the same way we seem to enjoy playing in the water, but they can't stay there for too long.
Just stuff to think about.
Oh, on a semi-related note, there is much evidence to suggest that dolphins have a very keen sense of touch, especially in certain areas of their skin. They act like very touchy-feely humans; they touch up against one another a lot, in the way a human might glance over at a friend every now and then, or keep them in their peripheral vision.