Dolphins are perhaps the most intelligent aquatic animals on earth. Through their dynamic social structure, complexity of communication tactics, and emotional intelligence, it is no wonder tht dolphins inhabit every ocean in the world, as well as many freshwater rivers, in the same way humans have populated every continent. The cognitive abilities that dolphins possess undoubtedly are remarkable, thus what makes them the smartest aquatic animal on the planet.
Large brain size in mammals has been related to the number and complexity of social relationships. Dolphins are highly social animals consistent with humans, great apes and other creatures displaying high levels of intelligence. They are frequently observed as having highly dynamic social relationships that intertwine fluidity, flexibility, and security. Although membership within a pod can be fluid and flexible in means to accomplish a common goal, other times strong bonds are formed. This can be witnessed through dolphins’ refusal to abandon injured or ill individuals. Within these pods, dolphins maintain security through their immediate social network—consisting of a few close companions and more casual relationships. In these groups the dolphins work together to survive while looking out for the well being of one another. Dolphin calves are among the few species that are taught survival skills as well as culture by their mothers. Mother dolphins teach their young to hunt through playful-looking movements, pointing gestures, and repetition— which often takes up to eight times longer to capture prey. This is done for learning purposes of calves in order to acquire knowledge through observation and repetition. This transfer of knowledge is commonly referred to as the ‘t...
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Watch out dolphins because you may no longer be the most intelligent animals anymore! Elephants, one of our lands largest creatures, are taking your spot! In the video, Elephants Show Cooperation, the article, Elephants Can Lend a Helping Trunk, and the passage, from Elephants Know When They Need a Helping Trunk in a Cooperative Task, the authors illustrate the intelligence of these pachyderms. They all show an experiment that proves this claim. Elephants “join the elite club of social cooperators: chimpanzees, hyenas, rooks, and humans.” Their cognitive ability even surprises the researchers. They not only make wise decisions, but also work well with their companions. All three sources depict the sagacity of these remarkable creatures.
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...t to be entertained by seeing killer whales perform tricks. In the wild, the highly intelligent orcas perform their own “tricks.” According to marine biologist Jacques Cousteau, “There is about as much educational benefit to be gained in studying dolphins in captivity as there would be studying mankind by only observing prisoners held in solitary confinement.”
One of the most common dolphins that are found in southern California is the bottlenose dolphin (Kelly). The bottlenose dolphin is mainly found in coastal waters between 45 degrees north and 45 degrees south, also in Northern Europe waters. It is believed that there are two types of bottlenose dolphin regional wise: oceanic form and coastal form. This species is studied the most by biologists (Jefferson). The coastal population lives in fairly open groups with twenty or less in a pod, some groups are found to contain more in open ocean. It is not uncommon for these species to interact and breed with other species, as would a human interact with other diverse humans. The dolphins feeding behavior is adapted to the availability of resources. They sometimes are known to work together to catch fish from large schools, they also trail behind large fishing boats to catch what falls behind (Leatherwood).
Ever wonder how animals know so much? It’s simple. It’s all according to how they act and what they know. When an animal is born it has instincts. These instincts help the creature survive and cause them to behave certain ways. This is called Innate behaviors. Although, some things animals have been taught. Unlike Innate behaviors whereas it comes from the genes, other behaviors have to be learned. They are called Learned behaviors. Together, Innate and Learned behaviors can prove that animals are smarter then most people think.
I chose dolphins because they are such elegant creatures, even though wild dolphins are often dangerous. Dolphins are my favorite creatures in the world, and people ought to respect them more.
Although it is remarkable that these marine mammals are capable of so much, there are things the public does not know. According to classified statistics, twenty-three out of forty-three animals died while being transported from their natural habitat to foreign aquariums for training. Another thing the public does not know is in reference to a similar marine mammal program in the Soviet Union. It has been reported that Soviet dolphins were trained to do "kamikaze" missions. Explosives were supposedly strapped to their backs and they were sent out to destroy enemy submarines. According to statistics, about two thousand dolphins have died on these, and similar, missions.
Cetaceans are thought to be some of the most intelligent species on this planet. Popular culture has embraced the idea of cetacean intelligence with shows such as the 1960s hit TV series Flipper, where a dolphin is used to help fight crime. In his comedic science fiction novels, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, author Douglas Adams suggests that dolphins are the second most intelligent creatures on Earth, behind mice and above humans. Although most scientists would probably argue that humans are the most intelligent species, the behavior and brain size of dolphins and other cetaceans suggests that they too are intelligent. This paper will briefly describe the reason some scientists believe cetaceans are intelligent species and then give examples of scientific studies, which suggest cetacean intelligence. Since bottlenose dolphins and orcas are the most widely studied cetaceans, the survey of field studies will primarily focus on these two species. At the end, this paper provides an argument of why some scientists discredit the high degree of cetacean intelligence.
When an orca pup is taken away from the ocean and away from its supporting family and sent to a small chlorinated pool with strangers it can cause many potential health hazards for them. The most noticeable health related problem is whale on whale aggression. Hardly any of the killer whales in captivity are related by blood, therefore, most of them are all strangers and will fight or even kill e...
Language is commonly held to be the province of humans, but other inhabitants of earth possess their own forms of communication. Birds, dolphins, and whales are some of those that have a language. Primates also use vocal communication with each other. Their utterances have varied uses and volumes, with each primate’s voice being distinct just as human voices are. These unique calls have given researchers insight into the social workings of primate groups. The very fact that primates have a language offers insight into the evolution of language and calls into question what the term human truly means.
Killer whales communicate by a series of clicks and whistles called vocalization. Each pod, or family, has their own unique language. This gives whales the ability to identify their own pods. Orcas have a brain that is about five ti...
Their beautiful song can travel miles and miles underwater. These sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises are quite complex and often continue for hours on end. It is most likely that humpbacks sing to communicate with others and to attract potential mates (National Geographic). Humpback whales travel in groups called pods. These whales, like others, regularly leap from the water, landing with a tremendous splash. Scientists aren’t sure if this breaching behavior serves some purpose. These whales are famous for the water acrobatics. Humpback whales can frequently be seen leaping out of the water and sometimes can use their flukes to propel themselves completely out of the water (Animal Planet).
Dolphins are well known for their agility and playful behavior in the wildlife of all the oceans in the world. They have many characteristics, and also there are a variety of different types and kinds of dolphins, which make them very intelligent creatures. Dolphins are smart marine mammals and great swimmers. They are known to be very friendly to humans and other wildlife creatures, dolphins often display a playful attitude which makes them popular to human nature and the culture. They can be seen jumping out of the water,riding waves, play fighting and occasionally interacting with people swimming in the water. Dolphins love hanging along the sea shores of all beaches around the coast, where it is warm and tropical(Fun dolphin facts).Dolphins are believed to be the most intelligent animals on earth
These dolphins are the type of dolphins common people would see at the Zoo or on a T.V. programed performance. Like the Common Dolphins, the Atlantic Bottle-Nosed Dolphins are highly skillful echolocators. They can produce a range of sounds, like a click, using it to analyze any object around them in the ocean (Whitfield 114). According to Whitfield on page 114, they can produce up to 100 clicks a second. They will use these clicks to also find food. They mainly eat Bottom-dwelling fish in inshore waters or surface swimming fish. They can do many other objects with their echolocation finder and using their