12 curiosities about the intelligence of dolphins

This animal species is one of the most intelligent on the planet, for several reasons.

Dolphins are one of the most valued and popular animals worldwide. It is an animal species that has inspired humans since ancient times, with even romantic overtones and often being a symbol of freedom, peace and joy.

Among its many qualities, the intelligence of dolphins is one of the most valued, together with their sociabilityThe dolphin's intelligence is one of the most valued, along with its sociability and capacity for empathy both with its own species and with others (including humans). The dolphin has been identified along with other cetaceans, primates, elephants and some bird species such as crows as one of the most intelligent non-human animal species (surpassing many of them in capacity). Throughout this article we will observe different curiosities and information related to their high cognitive capacity.

What does it mean to be intelligent?

Before going on to see different data and curiosities that help us to see the great potential and intelligence of dolphins, we should make a brief review of what we consider intelligence.

Although there are multiple theories and models in this regard, we can briefly define intelligence as the ability or intellectual capacities that allow a living being to adapt successfully to the environment around it, being able to resolve the environment, being able to solve more or less complex problems and to use the resources available both in the subject and in the environment in the most efficient way possible. This implies the capacity, among other aspects, to organize mental content, to restructure and shape it, and even a certain capacity for abstraction.

Although this capacity has traditionally been linked to and focused almost exclusively on human beings, the truth is that there are many animal species that manifest behaviors that are considered intelligent. And among them, the dolphin stands out, which shows behaviors and a brain structure that make us think of this species as one of the most intelligent animals in the world. one of the most intelligent animals. Some even believe that, if they had had opposable hands and thumbs, they could even surpass our abilities.

Curiosities about dolphin intelligence

Most people know that dolphins are very intelligent beings, but the truth is that there are many facts that are unknown or that can draw attention to this subject. Here is a series of interesting facts about these beings that make us appreciate the high level of intelligence of dolphins.

1. They have a language

Dolphins enjoy not only great intelligence, but also abilities that until a few centuries ago were considered the exclusive patrimony of human beings. One of these is language. Like other cetaceans such as whales, it has been observed that dolphins enjoy a complex communication system. have a complex communication system based on their characteristic clicks, being able to identify different elements with them.They can identify different elements with them and even seem to make reference to their emotional state.

2. They have their own name

Linked to the above, different investigations have proven that the human being is not the only creature that is identified by its peers in a symbolic way, with a distinctive name for each one of us. It has been proven through the recording of their language that dolphins use these whistles to address other dolphins. use these whistles to address others, possessing whistles that identifyThey have whistles that identify other subjects.

3. They use tools

One of the aspects that has been most closely linked to cognitive ability is the ability to use existing resources in the environment in a creative way in order to achieve a specific goal. It has been observed that dolphins are capable of this, using, among other elements, marine sponges when searching for food among corals.. This requires considerable cognitive skills, understanding the fact that they may experience harm and the need to employ an element to avoid it, as well as finding it and putting it to practical use.

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4. They have sex for pleasure

Most animals reproduce only in seasons when females are fertile. Dolphins, like some primates and humans, are one of the few animals that do not consider sex only in their fertile phases, but have sex regularly for the sole purpose of pleasure. for the sole purpose of pleasure.. In addition, they engage in various courtship behaviors that they seem to enjoy.

5. They accompany in the last moments

When a dolphin is in its last moments, it is possible to observe how its group tends to help it with their its group tends to help it with their own bodies to come up to the surfaceThe dolphin's group will help it with their own bodies to rise to the surface, so that the creature can keep its blowhole (the orifice through which they breathe) out of the water in order to breathe more comfortably to alleviate its suffering. This is a demonstration not only of the dolphins' intelligence, but also of their ability to empathize.

6. Military dolphins

The use of animals in the context of war has been relatively common throughout history. They were generally used as transport or as a fundamental element to cause damage (horses, camels, elephants and dogs are good examples of this) or to communicate (as in the case of pigeons).

Although it is not particularly well known by the majority of the population, some cetaceans have also been used in the military. The high intelligence of dolphins and their ability to emit and perceive ultrasound has been used to detect underwater mines, ships and divers. They can also transport and lay mines (fleeing after laying) and even serve as soldiers to attack divers and ships. They were frequently used during the cold war and even today some armies continue to use them.

7. They may commit suicide

Although animal suicide is something very controversial, it has been observed that many dolphins seem to decide to end their lives either by stopping breathing (in the dolphin breathing is not unconscious and automatic but requires control on their part), feeding or even crashing repeatedly against rocks or objects. This requires sufficient cognitive ability to understand what death is and how it can be caused and how it can be triggered, a capacity that dolphins seem to have.

8. They have culture

A sign of dolphins' intelligence is their ability to transmit knowledge to their fellows. It has been observed how in some cases of dolphins that have been in captivity how, after having been taught some skill or way of doing certain actions, these ended up being replicated by a large part of their group, having been transmitted learned from the original.

It has also been observed that language or the way of communicating may vary among different groups of these animals, with the existence ofThe existence of learned "dialects" can be observed. Likewise, social play, mutual cooperation, caring for other animals' offspring and the transmission of hunting strategies have been seen as signs of culture within these animals.

9. Their brain structure is complex

The intelligence of dolphins has been an element that has aroused the curiosity of many people, and different analyses and investigations have been carried out in this regard. At the neuroanatomical level, it has been observed that they present a very complex brain structure, with a very high level of encephalization (in some cases, it has been (it has even been proposed that in some cases they even have a greater intellectual capacity than humans) and a size that on average exceeds our own. In fact, it is one of the animals with the largest brain in relation to its body size.

10. They recognize themselves in the mirror

Some experiments, already classic, carried out with different animals such as dolphins show that they have the ability to recognize themselves in the mirror. This implies the notion of an "I" different from the rest, the recognition of one's own characteristics and actions and the fact that a reflection is not a different creature imitating us but the product of a refraction. This is another example of the intelligence of dolphins.

11. They empathize with other species

We may have seen in a movie how a dolphin saves a swimmer or a castaway from a shark attack or from drowning. Although it may seem an exaggeration or even a display of romanticism, the truth is that it is something that happens in reality.

And the fact is that dolphins have the ability to empathize not only with their own species, but also with others. but also with those of other species. There are multiple cases in which these animals (and we are talking about animals in the wild, not trained to do so) have saved the lives of many people by acting as bait or by surrounding a group of dolphins around a human being in order to protect him. This protective behavior has also been observed for other species, as in some cases of whales attacked by sharks. They are capable of understanding that another creature is suffering or, in our case, is drowning, something that requires a high intellectual capacity.

12. Non-human persons

Due to the very high level of intelligence of dolphins and their multiple cognitive abilities, different movements and proposals have appeared for dolphins to be considered as "non-human persons", making them possessing the same rights. This has occurred in India, where the Central Zoo Authority has banned shows with these animals, as well as in Costa Rica, Hungary and Chile. Different zoos in Spain, such as the one in Barcelona, have also banned such shows.

In addition, some organizations have requested the approval of the declaration of cetacean rights, based on the high sensitivity and intelligence of these beings.