The intelligence of dolphins is one of their most outstanding features. Among the thousands of members that the animal kingdom has, dolphins take one of the top places regarding intelligence.

The brain is the organ involved in the ability of understanding, reasoning, learning, and other cognitive processes. The dolphin’s brain is astonishingly complex, almost comparable to that of humans. And it is large related to their body. Through magnetic resonance imaging, their brains have been found to be 4-5 times bigger than those of other animals of similar sizes.

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is the second place in a list of species with a higher encephalization ratio (EQ), which compares the mass of the encephalon against its body size.

In addition to a developed neocortex, the cerebellum has more convolutions (turns of the brain surface) than that of other mammals. The connections between the neurological areas and the motor areas of the organ exhibit a great sensitivity to pain and a pronounced tendency to stress.

Some scientists claim that the social intelligence of these cetaceans competes with that of the great apes.

Most of their behaviors show the development of their brain and their ability to understand situations. They process information from their environment in a similar way to people, and some say that they can solve problems like humans. For example:

– Their forms of communication are complex, evolving and diverse.

– They are creative and playful animals. Their behavior is not mechanical or rigid; they seem to enjoy playing and look for the companionship of other individuals.

– Their empathy suggests that they experience emotions such as sadness or joy.

– They have an excellent learning ability; this is why they are highly requested animals for water parks, although the activities of these places are highly controversial.

– They can transmit learning to other generations of dolphins.
There have been cases where they use tools. For example, sponges to protect your snout from rough surfaces.

– The members of a pod collaborate with each other and sometimes with other species of animals.

Some scientists argue that the social intelligence of these cetaceans competes with that of the great apes because they can demonstrate empathy towards the companions and help them when they are injured or immobilized.

Signs of higher intelligence are related to self-awareness and dolphins are. Proof of this is that when they look in a mirror, they can recognize themselves and know that they are the ones in the mirror; This is a sign of the development of abstract thinking. Likewise, their learning ability is comparable to that of a 3-year-old child, according to cognitive psychologist Diana Reiss of the New York City University.

+ According to science, their ability to learn is comparable to that of a 3-year-old toddler.

INTELLIGENCE TESTS

Many other experiments on dolphins have proved their superior thinking ability compared with other animals and similar to that of humans:

– They respond positively to television, that is, show interest and curious attention to the moving images displayed on the device.

– They have been seen playing with inanimate objects that they find in their surroundings.

– They play with bubbles of water as they swim, and then take the time to observe their creations.

– They can solve complex problems and can imitate the actions of human beings. A dolphin named Tanner was blindfolded and told to imitate the actions of a trainer who was in the water. As the dolphin could not watch, emitted sounds and interpreted the sound waves to make replicas of the movements of the instructor.

The differences between human intelligence and that of dolphins are that the former need to manipulate their environment, but dolphins do not, and that is why they concentrate their intellect in other things.

There are still many questions regarding dolphin intelligence. There are still many things to discover, but what is known so far is enough to say that these animals are very, very intelligent.

ARE DOLPHINS SMART? THE ONGOING DEBATE ABOUT DOLPHIN INTELLIGENCE

Most scientists refuse to take a firm stand on the intelligence level of dolphins, and although many will admit that dolphins seem to be intelligent creatures, it is not a proven fact. The biggest problem researchers are running into seems to be the actual definition of intelligence and the way to test it in animals.

If you were to step out into the street and ask the first ten people you see whether or not they believed dolphins were creatures of intelligence, 8 of 10 would probably say yes. If you ask two scientists the same question, you just may be opening up a debate that could last for hours.

Darwin’s theory bases intelligence on the ability of a species to recognize what it needs to survive, while others believe that the size and architecture of the brain, the capacity to communicate or the ability to solve problems are the indicators.

Another reason why the research is limited is that it is complicated and expensive to do it in the wild. Dolphins in captivity may respond differently based on their surroundings and are therefore may not be representative of the wild dolphin.

While most of us outside the scientific realm recognize that dolphins are intelligent, we do not know the intricacies of the dolphin’s brain. It has two hemispheres just like the human brain. However, theirs split into four lobes instead of three. The fourth hosts all of the senses, whereas in humans, they are in different parts. Some believe that having all of the senses in one lobe allow dolphins to make quick and often complicated judgments that are well beyond the scope of human ability.

When studying the neocortex, which is the outside surface of the brain responsible for perceptions, memories, and thoughts, dolphins have more convolutions than the most intelligent humans. Even more, dolphins may be able to use the hemispheres of their brain separately as they have different blood supplies.

Some researchers think that the size and complexity of the brain at birth is a better measure of intelligence. If that statement holds up, however, once more the dolphin comes out on top. The bottlenose dolphin has a brain mass at birth that is 42.5% of the brain mass of an adult. In contrast, human babies at birth have 28% of their adult counterparts. At 18 months, the brain mass of a bottlenose dolphin is 80% of the adults, while humans don’t achieve this level until the age of three or four.

While the research certainly makes it look like the dolphin may be the closest to our level of intelligence, it may be quite some time before this can be confirmed.

References

Richard C Connor. Dolphin social intelligence: complex alliance relationships in bottlenose dolphins and a consideration of selective environments for extreme brain size evolution in mammals. 2007.

Pilleri G, Gihr M, Purves P.E, Zbinden K, Kraus C 1976 On the behaviour, bioacoustics and functional morphology of the Indus river dolphin (Platanista indi Blyth, 1859).

Stephen Leatherwood, Randall R. Reeves. The Bottlenose Dolphin. Elsevier, 2012.

news.health.ufl.edu/2012/18591/multimedia/animal-airwaves/dolphins-dig-tools/

There have been plenty of studies on intelligence of people and animals over time. What some of this research is indicating is that dolphins rank #2 – behind only humans. This information is based on MRI scans of the brain that indicate they do have a high level of self-awareness. What is also interesting is that the brain of dolphins could prove to be quite vulnerable to traumatic experiences and suffering, just like humans.

Studies that have been done to determine overall brain power put humans as #1 and dolphins as #2. New research has been able to show that dolphins do have skills and forms of awareness that were once thought to be unique to only humans. The information determined from MRI scans also shows that the brain of a dolphin is about 4 or 5 times larger than it should be based on their body size.

This information is based on comparisons to other animals that are close to the same size. One of the leading experts in the world on dolphins is Lori Mario who is a Senior lecturer at Emory University in the area of Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She has done many MRI scans on dolphins. She also believes that using the brain to body ratio formula that dolphins would indeed by behind humans.

The findings of such studies have been presented by Marino in various capacities, including at the American Association for Advancement of Science. She does state that size is only one factor but that there is plenty of other data to support the claims about dolphin intelligence. The neocortex is the part of the brain that allows for higher levels of thinking to take place. This is also where emotional information can be expanded for dolphins.

There are studies on dolphin behavior that Marino and other experts have conducted that show these animals often can exhibit skills similar to humans. For example, being able to recognize themselves in a mirror. They are also able to identify abstract concepts, learn symbol based communication programs, and they also take part in cultural learning based on the group they belong to.

This information is why Marino doesn’t feel it is a good idea for marine parks to take part in teaching dolphins to perform or having them involved in dolphin assisted therapy. She and some other experts believe it could be harmful on a psychological level to them. They also worry it could give humans a false interpretation about the intellectual abilities of dolphins.

This information stems from the fact that when a person or an animal is highly aware of their circumstances they notice the differences between a good situation and a bad one. Negative feelings can occur for the dolphins due to them not being able to continue in a natural setting versus being in captivity.

The emotional elements of dolphins are very high, much like humans. There have been reports of dolphins becoming so upset during herding by boats that they can die of a heart attack. They can also die from exhausting due to their instinctive nature to flee from the situation. Those that are captured and then transported to captivity facilities can suffer a great deal of emotional trauma.

Diana Reiss, a Professor of at Hunter College in the area of Psychology also believes that Marino’s data and conclusions are solid. She plans on presenting similar information and to support this information about dolphins in an effort to make people more aware. Not only of their intelligence, but also of their emotional processes. 

Source: http://news.discovery.com/animals/dolphins-smarter-brain-function.html

Every living thing has a method of communication, and it is fascinating to explore the depths of it. For example, humans use short words the most. Some of the most commonly used words are I, a, and the. This is a means of being efficient in communication, and dolphins are believed to follow similar types of patterns in their communication efforts as well.

This is referred to as the Law of Brevity, and it has become a very interesting and valuable area of study. It has been able to show that evolution plays a key role in communication in both humans and animals. Such studies also show animals are more capable of effective communication than humans once gave them credit for.

One person that has been involved in such studies is David Lusseau, a Behavioral Ecologist at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He believes that the Law of Brevity tells us a great deal about ourselves. It also explains many of the levels of complexity in the world regarding communication. There are still unknown factors though such as if it is limited or if there are so many ways to reach it that it is limitless.

The desire of Lusseau to learn more about the complexities of communication systems led him and to study dolphins along with a colleague, Ramon Ferrer-i-Cancho. They chose to study dolphins due to the fact that they are distanced from humans on the tree of evolution. Approximately 65 million years ago they split from humans, and they have brains that are designed different from those of humans.

Studies show that dolphins have the ability to use about 30 different nonverbal behaviors that allow them to effective communicate. However, we don’t have all the information to really understand the messages being sent all the time. For example, a dolphin that does a side flip or several of them is sending a message to the rest of the group. Are they telling them to follow the hierarchy within the group or is there another message from this movement?

To get the most out of the research efforts, all of the 30 behaviors were broken down individually into behavioral units. A flip equals 2 units while a head butt equals 4 units. There were hundreds of hours invested in observing and analyzing the dolphins. This included very simple behaviors as well as those that are quite complex.

The Law of Brevity is exhibited in all human languages, and it is evident in these observations of the dolphins too. Basically, when you have more to say, finding a shorter way to communicate it will save you time and deliver the message faster. At the same time, the listener is able to use less effort to understand that message being said to them. This all improves communicate results.

This type of study with the dolphins is just the tip of the iceberg. Many scientists including Brenda McCowan of the University of California have the theory that there are plenty of other types of animals that use the Law of Brevity as well. She believes that there are various systems in place when it comes to communicate that are structured in a manner that works for that type of animal.

As more data is compiled and analyzed, it shows that humans aren’t unique when it comes to communication and the Law of Brevity. McCowan encourages us to be open to the idea and to think about how it affects our relationships with animals in the world. It can help us to see how animals fit into society differently than we imagined before.

Source: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/11/dolphin-language.html

There are many studies out there that compare the size of brains from one living thing to the next. What has been found is that the size of the brain for a human and a dolphin are almost the same. This is based on information that shows the evolution of the cetacean brain over a period of more than 47 million years!

Such studies have given experts information about the large size of the brain for toothed whales. Some of these species have abilities that have only previously been seen to exist in some of the Great Apes as well as humans. Now they have also been observed with some of the species of dolphins.

Brain of Pacific white-sided dolphin / Author: Tranletuha.

There are studies that show dolphins have the ability to recognize who they are when they see their reflection in a mirror. They are also able to communicate using symbol based programs and through concepts that are abstract in nature. Some researchers believe that the large size of their brain is what allows such intelligence to occur.

Yet what continues to be a huge mystery to the experts is the evolution of the brain over time. One of the largest fossil studies that has ever been conducted has been done by Lori Marino has several of her colleagues from Emory University in Atlanta. The study spanned 4 years looking over various collections in different museums.

The team used 66 different fossilized cetacean skulls that they found. Using CT scans, they were able to document the size of each of the brains. They were also able to document the body mass through the bones found at the base of each skull.

This study also included looking at similar data already collected on 144 cetacean skulls. This resulted in a total of 210 samples being looked at, with 62 species and 37 different families being represented in that total of samples. Find the EQ, or Encephalization Quotient, of each one was the purpose of collecting such data.

If you aren’t familiar with EQ, it is a representation of the ratio of brain to body mass. The scale works like this:

Large brain size – EQ greater than 1

Average brain size = EQ of 1

Smaller than average brain size = EQ less than 1

The largest of all creatures is humans with an EQ of 7. There have been two significant points in the evolution of cetacean that the EQ showed a significant jump. The first dates back about 35 million years ago. There were dramatic changes to the EQ as well as to changes in body size.

There are studies that indicate the development of larger brains was the result of the evolution for echolocation. This is the use of high frequency sounds that can be picked up as they echo off of various objects. Then the animals are able to interpret a variety of information from that occurrence.

It is believed the second dramatic increase in brain size occurred about 15 million years ago in the Delphinoidea super family. This includes narwhales, belugas, dolphins, and porpoises. The information from fossil records suggests that these increases were significantly more than that of humans or great apes.

The findings of this study are believed to be one of the few that have helped us to gather such information from the fossil records. Such research is time consuming but it is also very important as well as interesting. If you are interested in reading more about the research this team has done, it will be in The Anatomical Record, December issue.

Source: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20041108/dolphin.html

Dolphins sleep very differently than most land mammals in a way that dolphins are not totally unconscious when they sleep.

Research have shown that only half of dolphin’s brain sleep at a time, leaving the other part, acutely aware of dangers.

Besides being aware of these threats, dolphins need to be conscious to reach the surface continuously to breathe, which means that they could not go into a deep sleep because otherwise, they would drown.