For good reasons, this coin is one of my best sellers. With their amazing warm weather and beautiful scenery, Hawaii is a place we all love.

This coin is part of a series of coins issued by the Maui Chamber of Commerce to raise money for educational projects.  It features two leaping dolphins which are common wildlife on the islands.  Here are a few facts about Dolphins that you might not know:

• Dolphins are nocturnal and feed at dawn and dusk.  That makes it the best time of day to see them in the wild.
• Dolphins need to tell themselves when to breathe.  As a result they can never completely fall asleep.  Instead they let 1/2 of the brain sleep at a time.  The other side of the brain stays awake to control the breathing, and they also keep one eye open with it.
• Dolphins don't normally dive deeply, but one dolphin trained by the US Navy holds the record at diving 990 feet.
• Dolphins can swim more than 20 miles per hour for short distances, and can hold their breath 8-10 minutes.  Amazing!
• It is illegal to swim with the dolphins in the wild.  The law mandates that you cannot get within 50 yards of a wild dolphin.  It is however legal to swim with captive dolphins, and many people do.

Fun Fact about Dolphins:
   You might be surprised to learn that Dolphins have a poor sense of smell. They also like to blow bubbles!

European Pond Turtle, Coin from Hungary

This 1985 coin was issued in Hungary as part of a Wildlife Preservation series. These turtles live in ponds, marshes, and wetland areas in southern and central Europe, and northwestern Africa. They are more rare in some countries.

Five interesting facts about these fresh water turtles:

• They live about 50 years in the wild, and their size ranges from 5 to 15 inches.  They are social and live in small groups.
• They eat insects, small fish, tadpoles, etc. They also will eat water vegetation along with it.  
•  Females lay 8-10 eggs, and the eggs incubate for about 90 days. The egg nest is buried in the dirt usually near a body of water.  
• When winter arrives, they don't hibernate.  Fresh water turtles dive down into the muddy waters at the bottom of ponds where the temperature normally doesn't get below 34 degrees F. Their metabolisms slow down, allowing them to survive for months without food and very little oxygen.
• Female European Pond Turtles leave after laying their eggs, they don't stay to raise their young.  The baby turtles hatch fully developed and are independent.