Unlike sounds taken from a single film or show, the dying dolphin clip circulates mainly as a standalone meme sound effect, shared and reused across short-form videos, edits and soundboards. Its appeal is not a famous quote or character, but the instantly recognisable animal squeal itself, which creators can drop into almost any embarrassing or overblown moment. That flexibility has kept it in rotation for reaction videos, gaming clips and comedy edits, where a familiar, exaggerated cry signals that something has gone comically wrong.