All the information we have about dolphins is thanks to the countless studies, tests, and research that some scientists have performed. In fact, new reports, papers, and conclusions come out every year that mentions the outcome of a given study that expands the understanding of the complex world of dolphins.

These mammals were known in the ancient classical civilizations and in others that had contact with the sea. Today it is assumed that they were attracted to this beautiful, docile and almost friendly animal as much as we do. The seventeenth century brought a new era of individuals interested in the life of plants and animals, and from then on began a period of more thorough research performed under an organized structure and later with the scientific methodology.

The knowledge about dolphins got during centuries was transferred hand to hand among the famous naturalists. Many species of dolphins were discovered and described for the first time during the nineteenth century, such as the Peale’s dolphin (Lagenorhynchus australis), the White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) and the Long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis).

According to estimations, 130 dolphins are in possession of the US Navy.

The scientists in the twentieth century discovered new species, and as they got new information, they restructured some taxonomies. With time, investigators sometimes realized that a subspecies existed not previously considered as such or that newly-known characteristics were inconsistent with the assigned taxonomic family of a species. Further research also made them aware of the intelligence potential of these cetaceans.

In this regard, the US Navy has developed leading research programs since the 1950s. The most obvious example is the Marine Mammal Research Program (1960), whose objective was to learn about the sense of echolocation and to know the morphology of these mammals thoroughly, with the intention to get the knowledge from them and apply it to technologies at the service of humans.

Dolphin research is still relevant for the Navy. To get an idea, in 2007 they spent about $ 14 million on marine mammal research that includes training activities. The number of dolphins in possession of the US Navy is estimated to be 130.

But other governmental and non-governmental organizations have carried out remarkable studies in the field and even collaborated with each other. Many research institutes have different approaches, some move from theory to action, implementing rescue or conservation programs.

OBJECTIVES OF DOLPHIN RESEARCH

Most of the research focus on the following aspects:

– Genetic data of dolphins.
– Behavior.
– Social structure.
– Brain, intelligence, and communication.
– Taxonomy.
– Discovery of new species.
– The impact of anthropogenic activities on the species.
– Preservation and conservation.

Research involves a series of studies that include practical activities, which require a highly coordinated team. It includes reviewing previous studies, analyzing findings, and even rearranging information, which sometimes leads to changes in the taxonomy of some species of dolphins.

MORE RESEARCH

Today we have a lot of information about dolphins since they are one of the most studied animals probably because their intelligence and some similar characteristics to humans make them grab the focus.

Some of the research recently published is:

US researchers led by Dr. Jason Bruck of the University of Chicago stated in 2013 that dolphins have the longest social memory of all non-human beings. They can remember individuals even after 20 years since their last interaction and in the opinion of these scientists, this is the result of the close social relations established between them.

Although it was an issue that was already suspected, researchers from the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland, brought to light in 2013 a study that proves once again that each dolphin differentiates from the others by emitting a characteristic whistle. In human words, a kind of a particular name. According to Dr. Vincent Janik, dolphins responded to their “name” during the tests when the researchers made their whistling sound through underwater speakers.

A study by the Dolphin Research Center in Grass Keys, Florida, released in 2013, reported that dolphins could solve problems in the same way humans do because they can make decisions and guess. They not only react to stimuli.

Dolphins have culture; an aspect believed to be exclusive to man. Observations concluded this when seeing bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using marine sponges in their snout to protect it by feeding on rough surface areas. Subsequently, the researchers realized that mothers transmitted this behavior to their offspring and they learned in consequence.

The former is a great discovery because transferring knowledge among generations is probably one of the main things that made humans reach the fantastic development that we have now. Therefore, even in a basic way, demonstrating this behavior put dolphins in a whole new level.

Research is ongoing. There is still much to discover despite being activities that involve a lot of time, work, and money. However, understanding their life can generate human awareness and improve conservation efforts.

US NAVY LEADS THE WAY

Although we’ve been fascinated by dolphins for thousands of years, it wasn’t until approximately the 1940’s that research in the field of marine mammals began. While there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of research projects currently being conducted on dolphins, the largest project is the one undertaken by the U.S. Navy.

The U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Research Program started to work with dolphins in the late 1950’s to analyze their hydrodynamic properties and their biosonar. The hope was that dolphins could be trained to locate and retrieve lost objects from the ocean using their capabilities. In the early 1960’s, John Ci. Lilly and several other scientists discovered that dolphins possessed an intelligence level they believed was second only to that of man and that dolphins could learn how to complete tasks quickly and efficiently. It was at this point that the Navy launched a secret research program on dolphins.

Over the next 29 years, the U.S. Navy officially had over 240 dolphins in their research program. The types of dolphins included were Atlantic Bottlenose and Pacific white-beaked dolphins and Beluga, Killer and Pilot whales. For over four years, from 1965 to 1969, the Navy used acoustic signals to give commands to the cetaceans in exchange for fish. The Dolphins soon learned to retrieve mines even more efficiently than Navy scuba divers.

In a “top secret operation,” Six Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins were airlifted by the Navy to the Persian Gulf in 1987 where they were used to detect missiles and mines as well as for underwater surveillance. In 1988, trainers who had been working with these dolphins on the Navy project came forward with claims of abuse and carelessness of the dolphins in the Navy’s programs, but despite these allegations, the Navy Research Program continued. Since that time, the Navy has admitted that the Dolphins were also present in the Vietnam and the Persian Gulf War.

The Navy employs the Marine Mammal Productions Inc. to catch and transport the animals. They are sent to Seaco Inc. in San Diego, California for their initial training and then deployed to bases in Hawaii, San Diego, and Key West. The number of dolphins currently involved in the Navy programs is at least 130.

References

Thomas I. White. In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier. John Wiley & Sons, 2009.

John M. Kistler. Animals in the Military: From Hannibal’s Elephants to the Dolphins of the U.S. Navy: From Hannibal’s Elephants to the Dolphins of the U.S. Navy. ABC-CLIO, 2011.

Judith Janda Presnall. In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier. Learning Island.

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