From impressive social skills to amazing rescue stories, here are 8 mind-blowing facts about
dolphin intelligence!
8.
Interactions With Humans One of the most documented, and talked about
things in the world today is how dolphins "communicate" with humans.
If you look up dolphins and humans on the internet or in books, you'll hear stories
of how dolphins have not just been kind to humans, but have also saved their lives.
And despite what people may think, this is something that didn't just start in the 20th
century, it's actually gone back much farther than that.
Dolphins used to swim with the Greeks, and are said to have helped certain countries
during war.
Not to mention, they're a very attentive and responsive animal when in captivity, such
as at a water park like Sea World.
They love to entertain people, interact with trainers, and more.
But what does this prove?
It proves that these dolphins have a natural kindness and kinship towards humans.
Even the ones in captivity, who will perform without the need or promise of food.
Most captured animals need that promise to do the trick, but dolphins are so up for this
at times that they'll do it just to show off.
Now, to be clear, there have been cases of dolphins not behaving kindly to humans.
Including cases of them hurting people, pinning them to the sea floor, and in one case, actually
killing a human.
Which shows that this isn't a blind loyalty, but rather, a dolphin's decision to be kind,
or be mean.
Another proof of impressive intelligence.
If you're curious, the reason for the dolphin killing a human was because a human decided
to put a cigarette into the dolphins blowhole.
Which I think we can all agree is not the proper way to treat a dolphin.
7.
Irrawaddy The Irrawaddy is a species of dolphin that
primarily live in the waters of southeast Asia, such as the Bay of Bengal, and for many
years, they observed the local fisherman capture fish.
So, one day, they adapted their behavior to actually help them catch fish...in exchange
for some fish themselves.
Which means you could define this as a "you scratch my back, I scratch yours" scenario.
Pretty clever, no?
As for how this relationship works, the dolphins will actually lure in the fish, and then the
fisherman release their nets and bring them in.
The Irrawaddy are "rewarded" with fish before the nets are brought in for the fishermen.
Believe it or not, no other animal in the wild has adapted this way so that they can
benefit off of human behavior in this way.
Which is actually rather astonishing given how long humans and animals have been around
one another.
But it also speaks to how intelligent the dolphins are that they were able to observe,
learn, and then figure out how this could benefit them in the end.
This new relationship has been so profitable for certain fisherman that there are actually
battles to get the best Irrawaddy, and make sure they're not stolen by others.
Making the Irrawaddy not just valuable, but arguably one of the smartest dolphin species
out there in the world today.
6.
Their Own Kind Of Social Network One thing that animal researchers always try
and understand is how groups of animals interact with one another within their own communities.
For dolphins, they actually have enough intelligence to not just work in groups, but also, to have
hierarchies in regards to relationships.
“A dolphin alone is not really a dolphin,” says Lori Marino, an expert on dolphin intelligence.
“Being a dolphin means being embedded in a complex social network.
Even more so than with humans.”
After much study, it was found that there are three levels of dolphin "alliances".
The first is what you might expect, an intimate relationship between a male and a female dolphin.
Which lines up with much of the rest of the animal world.
Then, there are "groups" of dolphins that work together in a alliance that can do various
things when united, including apparently stealing other dolphins from other alliances.
The trick here is that while you'd think these groups wouldn't last long, studies say that
they'll remain together for about 16 years.
If not longer.
Finally, dolphins actually comprise their own form of "armies".
Which they'll use to defend one another and fight off things like sharks and other predators.
While this may seem basic at first, you need to remember that for these to work, the dolphin
needs to remember its relationship with every single other dolphin in the group or army.
Dolphins have been known to make sudden changes about their relationships with others in the
group, showing that they don't just remember them, but they'll have deep-rooted feelings
that can alter their decisions about them.
Thus, making this a true "social network", as everyone has feelings about everyone else.
Not something you would expect from an animal like this.
5.
Dolphins Are Very Creative You might think that dolphins are creative
because they're trained to do certain tricks at parks like Sea World, but that's conditioning.
However, dolphins on more than one occasion have proven to their trainers that they're
coming up with their own tricks that they can do on the fly and with minimal effort
in terms of thinking hard about what to do.
That suggests that they are creative, and that they understand how to impress those
around it.
There have even been times that dolphins will talk with one another in such a fashion that
it appears that they're "coming up with a plan."
But their creativity goes beyond that.
Many animals are able to devise ways to get food in their habitats.
But dolphins are able to think outside the box in order to do what they need without
causing harm to themselves.
Such as how the Female bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia will use sponges
from the sea as protection as they forage through the sand on the floor.
A technique so useful, it'll teach this trick to its children.
Or, how dolphins near Florida will actually swim around schools of fish with a wall of
mud to get them to a position where they can be eaten easily.
This kind of innate creativity is rare for many animals.
4.
Dolphins Can Get High You might look at that title and think, "Are
you telling me that dolphins can actually use drugs?"
The answer to that is yes and no.
No, dolphins do not use drugs like LSD or marijuana in order to induce a high state.
However, there have been cases of young dolphins getting injected with a neurotoxin from a
Pufferfish and reacting to it in a way that has been described as "getting high".
If you're looking for proof as to how this is them "getting high", you need only look
at what happens when the neurotoxin gets into their systems.
As it's been shown that they'll actually go to the surface of the water and look down
on it so that they can see their own reflections.
Something dolphins don't usually do.
But how does this prove high intelligence?
The answer lies in how the brain treats new experiences, and the desire of creatures to
try new experiences.
Humans often love to do new things, push boundaries, and see how far they can go both physically
and mentally.
But most animal species are rooted in their ways, which actually limits them in terms
of evolution sometimes.
For Dolphins though, they appear to have an inquisitiveness about them that is very human-like.
Which is very rare, and thus in the eyes of scientists, further proof of a great intelligence.
3.
Their Brains Match And Surpass Humans The subject of brain size and function is
one that has fascinated scientists for many years.
Which is why dolphins are a key focus when it comes to animal intelligence.
While animals like Elephants have larger brains, but much fewer neurons in terms of comparison
to humans, dolphins don't have that.
In fact, dolphin brains are a little bit bigger than ours, and have double the neurons.
And sometimes even more.
Neurons in the brain are known as the "basic working unit".
And they're made to send information to the cells, muscles, and glands of the brain and
body.
While it's hardly proof of higher-intelligence in regards to other animals, it does back
up why many dolphins appear smarter than they should be.
It's because they have the literal brainpower to be more than just basic animals, and that's
why many find them fascinating.
2.
Constant Brain Function The human brain is very unique in regards
to how it works in connection with all the functions that allow us to live.
What might surprise you though, is that dolphins have many similar functions.
One of the most surprising similarities is that dolphins breathe voluntarily, meaning
that they have to make a conscious choice to breathe, it's not something that just happens.
Just like humans.
Most animals on land don't have that function.
But it goes beyond that.
When they sleep, which is something they choose to do, only half of their brain shuts down,
also like humans.
And there are some who believe that dolphins actually have the ability to dream based on
movements noted in their sleep cycles.
This would be another layer of brain function that animals usually don't have outside of
humans.
It should be noted though that unlike humans, dolphins don't go "fully" to sleep.
I was speaking literally when I said that they shut down half of their brain when resting.
They'll use the other half to stay awake in part to look out for predators, keep breathing,
and more.
Which shows that dolphins aren't fools, they know that they aren't safe in the waters.
This knowledge actually leads them to sleep in groups to stay safe.
1.
They Have A Language That Is Indecipherable Animals in the air, on the land, and in the
water have their own way of communicating with members of its own species.
And sometimes other species.
But for dolphins, they are a rather unique case.
Because we know that they talk, and we can hear them talk to one another, but despite
tons of research into it, we can't decipher what they're saying, or how exactly this "language"
works.
Granted, there has been some progress on the subject, we know via recordings that dolphins
have five "base" sounds that they use in their language, but how it all connects is still
a mystery.
However, one fact that we can confirm is that dolphins have names for each other.
Something that isn't common in the animal kingdom outside of humans.
It's believed that each dolphin will come up with their name and then make a unique
call that signals what its name is.
Progress is slow on the communication front, but many are hoping that one day they'll find
the "Rosetta Stone" that'll make this language known to all.
Thanks for watching!
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