Journey of the Pink Dolphins

Pink dolphins--and yes, in the Amazon River the flamingo-colored mammals do exist--are believed by Brazilians and Peruvians to take human form, impregnate women, lure lovers to an underwater paradise, and in various ways drive those who encounter them mad. They seem to have worked their magic on science writer Sy Montgomery, who journeys through rain forests and sunken cities in a mad-dash pursuit of the enigmatic creatures.

In the Amazonian mythos Pink Dolphins are referred to as Encantados, meaning "enchanted ones" who inhabit an enchanted underwater Amazonian city called "Encante."

Clearly the authors, as have so many in the past, have fallen under the spell of the Pink Dolphins. For those who are not familiar with the myth, nearly every Amazonian tribe and people of the river (riberenos), believe that the very friendly Pink Dolphins of the Amazon are magical creatures whose greatest magic is the ability to appear to be human (especially at night and especially to those humans that the dolphin has fallen in love with). Indeed a remarkable photograph in the book appears to show a Pink Dolphin doing precisely that. The first time I saw it I had to rub my eyes before I could look at the picture again. If you like the true story of the Pink Dolphins, you'll love a children's book based on the legends of the Pink Dolphins, "A Dolphin's Tale," by Richard R. Blake.