Attached Link: http://www.blendernation.com/tutorials/blender-3d-beginner-tutorial-dolphin/

There's a tutorial on using latices to deform a sphere into a dolphin.  I don't think I've used that method since then, but I can see how it would be useful for poser figures.  I tried to change the shape of Aiko's head once (I swear the base figure looks like a q-tip)--local detail is easy but changing  whole parts of the head...ugh, too many vertices.