In captivity their graceful agility and remarkable intelligence make them star performers at seaquaria the world over. In the wild too we see how they've earned a reputation for seeking close contact with man - swimming with him, rescuing him from drowning, even taking him for rides!

Now there's news from Western Australia that wild dolphins are coming right up the beach, dodging playfully between the legs of bathers and accepting food from fascinated spectators - is it pure chance, or yet another astonishing encounter with a marine mammal intent on persuading us to 'join in the swim'?

BBC Bristol
Book, Wildlife Through the Camera, £10.25 from booksellers
(Subtitles on Ceefax page 170)