New Yorkers were reminded of their frequently-ignored connection to the natural world when a dolphin arrived in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal in January. The aging dolphin died in the dirty waterway causing many to worry that the Gowanus led to its end (a necropsy revealed the dolphin was gravely ill before it swam into Brooklyn’s waters). By swimming to its death in the media capital of the world, the dolphin secured the sort of fleeting fame that perhaps only animals can earn in the age of Instagram. The dolphin wasn’t the first large creature to meet its end in the Gowanus. In 2007, a Minke whale made it to the water before dying two days later. He was nicknamed Sludgie.
The 11 Most Influential Animals of 2013
They pawed around the West Wing and comforted people after tragedy. Sometimes, like pandas, they made their biggest impact by not being there at all. Here’s an unranked look at four-legged and finned creatures that shaped our year.