CRYSTAL BEACH, Texas -- Two bottlenose dolphins that nearly became the first casualties of Tropical Storm Edouard were returned safely to the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday.

The dolphins were found stranded on Crystal Beach late Tuesday.

Experts from the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network said the adult dolphins were within 50 yards of each other on the Bolivar Peninsula beach.

They believe they were brought in by the storm. The Stranding Network's Critical Care Team worked quickly to make sure that both dolphins were comfortable before loading them on a truck for the trip to Galveston. They repeated the effort for the return trip to Crystal Beach.

Prior to being returned to the wild, the dolphins cared for at the TMMSN's rehabilitation tank in Galveston.

One of the dolphins was having a little trouble breathing until they got it into the saltwater tank.

"They've been eating well, we put live shrimp in there that they're chasing so we've been able to feed on their own fine," said Heidi Whitehead with the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

The dolphins were tagged, ferried back to Bolivar and released near the original stranding site. 

TMMNS

Both dolphins are in good shape and will be released back into the wild.

According to the TMMSN Web site, a third stranded dolphin was reported in High Island Tuesday evening, but someone had already pushed it back into the water. Critical Care Team members and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office searched the beach in case it stranded again but had no luck finding it.

Bottlenose dolphins are among the most common type. They are known for their "built-in smile" which is formed by the curvature of their mouths.