The intelligence of dolphins

Watching a dolphin jump in an aquarium is exciting, but getting to know these animals in depth in their environment is even more so. Just when we think our eyes can’t open any more, the intelligence of dolphins once again breaks our expectations.

On the other hand, when it comes to studying intelligence in non-human animals, dolphins, crows and great primates are the preferred species. Furthermore, the case at hand is interesting because their anatomy is much more limited when it comes to manipulating objects, but that does not mean they are left behind in intellect.

Have you ever heard that saying “if crows and dolphins had opposable thumbs, they wouldn’t have conquered by now”? After reading this you will understand that the phrase has a reasonable meaning.

What do we consider intelligence?

For a long time now, dolphins have exceeded the minimum standards that many specialists consider to be able to speak of intelligence. Below, we share some points that define this symbolic border:

Brain size in relation to body or encephalization quotient: refers to the fact that the larger the brain is in relation to the size of the animal’s body, the more intelligence is expected from it. However, there are many studies that question this premise.Concept learning. Abstraction is a cognitive process that requires a good memory, and dolphins have proven many times to be able to generalize ideas -to catch a ball when asked for something round, for example-.Complex social relationships. Gregarious animals always establish a way of relating, but in the case of dolphins this complexity is very great. To give you an idea, these animals give themselves a name and seem to respond to it.Tools use. The Dolphins They are able to use objects in a sophisticated and instrumental way, like putting a sponge on your nose to avoid scratching yourself with the sand when you stir it up looking for food.Language. This is a controversial point. It seems so, now what we still don’t know how to determine very well is how sophisticated their language is.Prolonged childhood. Just like apes or elephants, dolphins need more time than other species to learn everything they need to survive, since their world is more complex.Self-awareness. Like many other species, dolphins They have self-awareness and are able to attribute it to other individuals -what is known as theory of mind-.

This list could be longer, but I think these points can successfully inform the topic we are dealing with. Below you have some more information that complements the previous ones.

The intelligence of dolphins

Do they seem like animals very far from us? Biologically they are, but it is enough to observe them for a while to begin to see similarities.

Your communication system is incredibly complex

Suffice it to say that your system of audible sounds has syntax. Not only do their whistles and clicks have a specific order, but they are capable of recognizing the syntax in other languages, such as human languages. The famous dolphins Akeakamai and Phoenix were able to recognize her both in the speech and in the gestures of their trainers.

Another curious fact is the signature whistles, specific sounds that each dolphin associates with itself, as a proper name. As we have said above, they present themselves with that specific tone and the mothers give their children a name and present them to the community with it.

But it’s not just clicks and whistles that enrich your communication. Their non-verbal language, like ours, modifies the audible message through postures and gestures. To give you an idea, More than 20 different movements have been documented with the tail alone..

Their ability to imitate is not limited to their species

Imitation is an extremely useful learning system in gregarious species, both for survival methods and for fitting into the group. Baby dolphins learn from their mother how to relate by imitating what it does when it communicates.

This is not limited to its own species. In captivity, it has been observed how they also imitate their caretakers, since they reflect human movements in their own anatomy; That is, they reproduce the movements of the arms with their pectoral fins, they flex their tail imitating the bending of the knees and many other gestures.

The intelligence of dolphins and mathematics

Although it has not yet been discovered that any species has reached the human level in terms of mathematics, many of them have demonstrated the ability to understand and use the bases of thought necessary for this.

The dolphins were not going to be less. It has been scientifically proven that they harbor concepts of relative numerosity, that is, they perfectly distinguish between different amounts of food, even if they vary by a few units. This is essential for the survival of many species.

They are able to plan

Trying to act before a problem occurs to prevent it is a capacity reserved for few species. It is, so to speak, the next step to trial and error.

Not only have dolphins been shown to be able to anticipate a problem and act accordingly, but this study showed that their strategies can be flexible to adapt to only slightly different situations.

They are creative

Creating ways of acting “out of nothing” is a behavior that seems not to be restricted to the most intelligent species, but in the case of dolphins it is even more astonishing. Here are the most curious ways they have devised to hunt:

Dolphins venture into shallow waters and stir the sand with their tails to make fish jump and catch them in flight.They ally themselves with human fishermen, as they guide the fish into their nets in exchange for sharing the loot. They shake the seaweed with their tail to create bubbles and make the fish come out.They shape schools of fish by swimming around them, thus making fishing easier..

This is not all about the intelligence of dolphins

Did you know that they practice sex for pleasure or that they mourn their dead? It was even documented that two different species of dolphins created a common form of communication to understand each other.

Finally, it is necessary to clarify that the more we know animals, the better we are able to identify intelligent behaviors in them. Now, if we are amazed at what we know, The future of what we have left to discover seems even more exciting.

You might be interested…