Dolphins are often considered the second or third most intelligent animals after man. Research has yielded tons of information about its life, its social structure, and its development. Their sense of echolocation has fascinated scientists, who do not hesitate to study it to apply the same mechanism to technologies that facilitate human life and help to fulfill special purposes. But is this all that we can learn from dolphins?

Of course not. These amazing, intelligent mammals have some lessons to teach humans, lessons whose application represents a benefit in the personal and social life of man, now more concerned with the achievement of his work goals and individual recognition.

Close social bonds are better than a lonely life.
Dolphins maintain very close ties with their pod companions. They are highly sociable and do not hesitate to help each other. They are even able to remember many years after they last saw each other and aid to survive those who are sick. When humans imitate this behavior, it improves their mood, reduces stress and increases their chances of survival.

Dolphins are considered the second or third most intelligent animals after man.

Empathy is good.

Dolphins understand when a dolphin or a human being are vulnerable to some danger, and that is why they are believed to have come to the rescue. They do not just leave those who need help. Would not be wonderful if people always did the same? Empathy in humans, besides, allows the understanding of different ideas, tolerance, and respect.

Teamwork is power.

Most of these cetaceans cooperate to find food, care for the young and protect each other. Humans try most of the time exclusively their well-being, but working together with others, is a good way to increase everyone’s success and improve living conditions.

Creativity is important.

Dolphins have found ways to solve some difficulties, as many tests show: they use sponges to protect themselves from rough surfaces, mimic human movements and even communicate through a varied repertoire of sounds. If they can, anyone else can and not just the researchers.

Live without damaging the environment.

This aspect is perhaps the most important since our environment is degrading as people become unaware of their implications on Earth and their responsibilities in it. Dolphins live in an aquatic environment from which they use resources for their means, but do not cause damage. They use what they need.

LEARNING APPLIED TO TECHNOLOGY

The scientific and technological areas are the ones that have benefited most from all the information acquired from dolphins. Current trends focus on the application of echolocation both in technology and in people’s daily life for impaired people and in developing methods for protecting other species. It seems that too much is known, but the truth is that much remains to be discovered and to be learned yet, that is why scientists continue studying them.

EVEN MORE LEARNING FROM DOLPHINS

While dolphin research is still in its infancy, the wealth of information that we may one day glean from these magnificent creatures is unimaginable. One lesson that we can learn from them, however, could be a key to the survival of our civilization. In today’s hectic world, the dolphin community may just offer a few lessons that we should take the time to learn.

There’s a saying in our culture that suggests “it takes a village to raise a child.” In earlier times, our society often reflected this concept. Today, however, morals and values are almost nonexistent, and technology continues to contribute to the breakdown of our families, communities and our society as a whole. Dolphins, however, are cooperative and playful. Their communities or pods persist under dangerous conditions only because of the bonds and support the members offer to one another. In the world of the dolphin, members care for and protect each other. Dolphins are creatures of socialization just as we are.

As human beings, maybe it’s time that we take a look back at how we have evolved and consider instead returning to the way of the dolphin, rather than spreading farther and farther from each other, the answer to our problems is perhaps instead, to come closer. The pod concept that protects dolphins could very well be the ideal that could protect our families and our communities.

There is, in fact, a society that is seriously contemplating the concept of pod living. The Sirius Institute, in Hawaii, has developed a model human society based on pod living. According to their website, Sirius believes that the pod prototype can help us “restore our currently fragmented society,” living in a way that provides an environment where “humans can belong to something bigger than themselves and stand out for who they are and the contributions they make,” instead of what they possess.

The Sirius Pod model allows people to interact within their homes, neighborhoods and in some cases, worlds. The children living in this environment are raised together, very similar to the way dolphins raise their young. Sirius believes that their pod models are “islands of stability” where people can come together to grow and prosper.

While the Sirius model may seem a little vague and sounds very much like the lifestyle we already think we’re living, it would be a positive thing for each and every one of us to stop and consider what the important things are and why we’ve let them fall by the wayside.

If we can learn anything from dolphins, it could just very well be that we need to refocus our attention on how we’re living our lives and why.

Dolphins continue surviving against increasing odds. The intelligence level that these animals display and their ability to interact not only with their peer but to also in harmony with others is a lesson we should all learn.

FROM DAY TO NIGHT.

Most dolphins are active during the 24 hours, both day and night although they are mainly active during the morning and afternoon. Everything they do during the day depends on the conditions of their habitat, the season of the year (breeding season, mating, etc.), the time of the day and the physiological conditions of their bodies.

SLEEPING BEHAVIOR.

There was a general uncertainty about the way dolphins sleep, but after several studies, it became evident that they do sleep but not the way humans do. Since they need some degree of consciousness to reach the surface and breathe, they keep one cerebral hemisphere active while the other rests. However, dolphins in captivity have an entirely different resting behavior than wild dolphins as they keep their blowhole off the water and do not respond to light stimuli, apparently having a deeper sleep, perhaps because they are not concerned about predators in their tanks that could threaten them.

One unusual behavior is when they do a sort of “a cough,” throwing their food out.

The case of the Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor) is particular because of its habitat; the river full of dangerous materials, muddy waters and strong currents, allow this dolphin to rest only 4-60 minutes in short bursts throughout the day.

TRAVEL BEHAVIOR.

Some species move from one place to another in an almost straight direction. They can travel alone or in the company of other individuals, swimming on the surface of the water to save the energy produced by the friction of the water on the submerged body, to orient themselves better or to get rid of the parasites in their skin. If they are resting, they group tightly and surface often to breathe.

FEEDING BEHAVIOR.

The feeding activities can be carried out individually or in groups, cooperating with each other to capture larger prey and having less energy expenditure. One unusual behavior is when they do a sort of “a cough,” throwing their food out.

The dolphins of Shark Bay, Australia, have demonstrated to the astonished researchers that they have traits of a culture development, understanding this as a set of knowledge, ideas, beliefs, customs, and practices learned in a society and transmitted from generation to generation. This conclusion was the result of watching these cetaceans protecting their “snout” from rough surfaces with marine sponges, and later their offspring also did this; a behavior that was not inherited but transmitted from parents to their offspring.

LET’S PLAY!

Dolphins are very curious and enjoy playing with objects and other dolphins. They jump up to 4.9 meters above the surface of the water falling on their backs or with their belly down. They often follow the waves of the stern or the bow of boats.

They jump up to 4.9 meters above the surface of the water.

Most dolphins play chasing one another, using objects and passing them on to others for attention. They commonly make bubbles in the water and take the time to recreate themselves in the ocean. Occasionally, this playful behavior includes other species of dolphins and animals such as Risso dolphins (Grampus griseus), Pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata), pilot whales (Globicephala) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).

Other games are only fun for them; they have been seen catching birds and submerging them several meters down, without eating them later.

THIS BEHAVIOR IS NOT NICE …

The habitat of dolphins also has a lot of dangers. If they notice something unpleasant near the pod, they quickly react swimming to the surface, exhaling, striking the water with their tail and grouping very close to each other. Any external element that disturbs dolphins has negative consequences that include stress, wounds, abnormal migrations and even less reproductive success.

Adult males swim in the perimeter of the pod territory to monitor the environment and to communicate others the presence of danger if something happens. Usually, dolphins avoid sharks or flee if they are in the proximity, but there are cases in which these cetaceans have attacked and killed sharks.

Normally, dolphins avoid sharks or flee if they are near, but if necessary, they know how to defend from them.

FRIENDLY DOLPHINS

The sociability of dolphins is evident due to their continuous association with other dolphins of the same species and occasionally interactions even with other species of cetaceans and animals in general.

If there is something for which people recognize dolphins, it is because of its charming “personality.” Docile and friendly to the human presence, they are also close with their companions. They establish strong social ties, assist wounded dolphins, cooperate to feed themselves and survive, and even voluntarily approach divers and bathers. Did you know that there are unconfirmed reports of dolphins helping humans to fish and sometimes they even offer them fish, octopus, and squid as gifts?

References

Ronald Schusterman, J. A. Thomas, F. G. Wood. Dolphin Cognition and Behavior: A Comparative Approach. Psychology Press, 2013.

Dr. Denise L. Herzing. Dolphin Diaries: My 25 Years with Spotted Dolphins in the Bahamas. St. Martin’s Press, 2011.

Karen Pryor, Kenneth S. Norris. Dolphin Societies: Discoveries and Puzzles. University of California Press, 1998.

http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/dolphinsmart/pdfs/behavior_factsheet.pdf