No one argue with the fact that dolphins are truly the masters of good PR.
Depicted as thoughtful and intelligent creatures, dolphins are revered in popular culture as the embodying the best qualities of animals.
Opportunities to swim with dolphins are offered at many upscale resorts and there is no shortage of volunteers willing to get up close and personal with the aquatic mammal at aquariums.
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But don't be pulled in by dolphin propaganda, the animals are actually apex predators who are more than capable of injuring humans and other animals who get in their way.
Still not convinced that dolphins could actually be evil? Below are a list of sinister reasons which prove that these creatures should be considered amongst the most sinister creatures of the ocean.
Dolphins are actually vicious predators
One of the main misconception about dolphins is that they are a friendly and approachable sea mammal.
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However the truth is that dolphins are actually fierce predators who are very capable of inflicting injury.
Dolphins will usually hunt fish or other smaller sea creatures, however they have also been known to bite humans with their sharp teeth, with some species having hundreds of razor sharp gnashers.
Dolphins will kill their young
Something that isn't advertised on your 'Swim with Dolphins' trip is infanticide. But unfortunately its something the creatures have been known to do from time to time.
Back in the 1990s, marine biologists discovered the remains of nine dead dolphin calves on the coast of Virgina, all sporting injuries which could only be caused by the beak of an adult dolphin.
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"It looked like someone had taken a baseball bat and just literally beaten these animals to death," Dale G. Dunn of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C, said of the remains.
Pretty grisly.
Dolphins also kill the infants of other animals
Not content with just attacking their own young, dolphins have also been known to target other creatures' infants.
In fact, the mammals have killed so many porpoises that the term porpicide has been invented to describe their behaviour.
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Back in 2023, a group of tourists even witnessed a porpoise killing in Wales, with the attack being one of the 'best' examples recorded of this phenomena.
Dolphins never 'sleep'
All animals need their rest, and for the majority of us that comes in the form of a good night's sleep. However this is not the case for dolphins, as they have evolved to be able to rest without losing consciousness.
Unlike traditional sleep, dolphins are able to alternate which part of their brain is resting, with the other half taking care of things such as breathing and floating.
Dolphins can be sexually aggressive
Dolphins are inherently sexual creatures and while the rules of consent don't fully translate into the animal world, there's evidence the aquatic mammals can behave rather violently when it comes intercourse.
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According to an article published in Slate back in 2009, dolphins have been known to engage in violent and coercive sex.
Even more sinister are rumours that they will also assault humans. However, despite numerous reports of the animals behaving sexually aggressive towards humans, there are no confirmed cases of dolphin rape against humans.
Dolphins like to get high
Not content with just killing other animals, dolphins have been reported to attack certain species of puffer fish in order to get high.
The targeted puffer fish contain a nerve toxin which can be lethal in large doses, however smaller amounts are reported to give the user a narcotic effect which groups of dolphins will often appear to enjoy.
Brenna Cooper