the bodies of dolphins or whales" Dolphins have long played a role inhuman culture. Dolphins are common in Greek my- thology and there are many coins from the time which feature a manor boy riding on the back of a dolphin. The Ancient Greeks treated them with welcome a ship spotting dolphins riding in their wake was considered a good omen fora smooth voyage. Dolphins also seem to have been important to the Minoans, judging by artistic evidence from the ruined palace at Knossos. In Hindu mythology, the Ganges River Dolphin is associated with Ganga, the deity of the Ganges river.