We shall agree to disagree!!
Lynn, no, not Hitchhiker, more like Xfiles. I'm of the opinion that WE are the aquarium for the aliens. Food? No, don't think so. More like they take out a specimen, poke and prod it a bit, put it back (alien abductions). This would explain lost civilizations -- they decided to re-think the inhabitants.
The dolphins -- another of my theories, I'm a stay at home mom, I have nothing better to do -- were one of the first species to come out of the water (or, well, stay in, whatever) and create early civilization. (One of the species that we can't seem to decide how smart they are.) Their world was probably something spectacular (Atlantis??) with art, music, literature, as well as disease, famine, prejudice, wars... they progressed so far without decimating themselves that decided at some point they were truly happy back in the water in the first place. And if we're smart we'll also get to the point where we realize that "progress" isn't necessarily progress.
