many of us have spirit companions who hang around us and help us from time to time.

some of these like to take the form of animals.

as you become more open and sensitive, you start to sense them in some ways.
slight glimpses or sounds or smells.
if you concentrate and try to catch them, you will lose the vibration you had when you caught the glimpse so it may be tricky to actually get to a stage where you notice them and actually retain your perception.

it is instinctive to turn and look and become more alert when you catch a sound or a glimpse.
so it's not easy.

Hi, Lucas,

You might be receiving visual clues to intuitive information. Many psychics "see" symbols or shapes when they are getting psychic information. The trick is to understand the meaning of the shapes.

I would suggest starting a journal. Note where and when you are seeing the shapes, and all details you can recall. You might even want to DRAW the shapes in your notebook. Then, after a couple months, go back and see if you can recognize a pattern. Note whether the shapes were "telling" you anything about the situation in which you found yourself, or about the people you were interacting with, at the time. (for instance, what does a "dolphin" shape mean to you?)

Of course, I may be barking up the wrong tree, here....and the shapes may be something else entirely. However, that's what it seems like to me.
;-)