Rest in peace, seagoing friends

They attracted crowds. They captivated biologists. They mesmerized

students. And now, they are gone.

Dex, the second of two bottlenose dolphins that remained feeding

in the Back Bay for more than three months, has died.

The 2- or 3-year-old creature was buried Friday next to Sandy --

the other dolphin who milled about in the bay -- near the Upper

Newport Bay Science Center.

We’re not in the habit of writing animal obituaries, and this

space is generally reserved for the more light-hearted human tales

from the community.

And yet the pair’s showing up near us for so long is, at least, a

reminder that while we fight over multimillion-dollar beachfront

hotel development, and the politics of public versus private dock

space or of dredging, we are neighbors to a vast amount of marine

life in our bays and on our shores.

The lesson appears not to have been lost on locals, as many

flocked to the Back Bay near the Coast Highway Bridge for an intimate

look at the creatures that became instant celebrities.

“It’s becoming a phenomenon,” marine biologist Dennis Kelly said

back in August.

Kelly and his students took a keen interest in the dolphins, all

the way to the end, and now beyond. Using skin and tissue samples, a

group of scientists and students will seek a cause of death. The

findings could also shine light on the death of Sandy, thought to be

an older and bigger dolphin, who was found dead in late September but

was too badly decomposed to determine why the creature died.

In the meantime, just as we tout the accomplishments of people on

these pages, we celebrate our smiling lost friends from the sea, just

for being themselves.