Most people know dolphins from the pictures of bottlenose dolphins, which always seem to be smiling because of the slight upturn to the corner of their mouths. Other species of dolphin don't appear to smile in the same way.  

 

This is one reason why they appear to us to look so friendly and we like them so much. The truth is though that dolphins are not ‘smiling’; they just happen to look that way.

 

Dolphins don't really have a 'face' in the way that humans do, and certainly don't use their 'face' to express themselves. Dolphins communicate their feelings in other ways, like clicks, whistles, and physical contact.

 

We think that because of dolphins 'smiles' they remind us of ourselves. On the other hand, we feel close to dolphins because they are intelligent and sometimes save people in trouble.

 

We should always remember though that dolphins are complex creatures that we do not fully understand.