Dolphins are smarter than humans- a phrase that ridicules the mental abilities of a person by comparing his intelligence with that of dolphins. Such memes usually talk about stupid actions and meaningless arguments that are inherent in a person. And opposed to all this is the dolphin, which does not commit such acts.
Origin
Dolphins are believed to be the smartest mammals on the planet after humans. However, the meme is most likely based on the text from chapter 23 of the humorous book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (1979).
On planet Earth, it was believed that human intelligence is higher than that of a dolphin, on the simple basis that humans have created so many useful things - a wheel, New York, wars, etc. - while the dolphins just know themselves chilled out in the water. Dolphins, on the other hand, have always considered themselves much smarter than humans - for the same reason. '' Douglas Adams
The "Dolphins are smarter than people" meme can exist both in the form of plain text and in the form of a picture. The most well-established macro contains an image of a conventional scientist who concludes: "So dolphins have once again proved that they are one of the smartest creatures on Earth."
Meaning
The dolphin meme makes fun of hobbies, stupid actions and generally the usual image of people. This is expressed in the fact that the dolphin answers “I don’t care” to another senseless argument, thereby confirming its intelligence.
Some memes, by the same principle, make fun of things and phenomena familiar to people. Have you ever seen a dolphin pay tuition for 5 years in order to work outside the profession? No. Because a dolphin is smarter than a person.
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What is the brain of a dolphin?
The brain of a 300 pound (about 135 kilograms) dolphin weighs 1700 grams, and that of a human weighing 65 - 70 kg. - 1400 gr. In addition, the dolphin has twice as many convolutions in the cerebral cortex, although there are relatively few neurons in a cubic millimeter of its substance, in any case, fewer than in the brain of primates. Therefore, one must beware of hasty conclusions, especially in comparison with a person. However, who knows, maybe dolphins will be able to catch up and overtake primates in intelligence.
Magazine: Fisherman
Neurophysiologists believe that the dolphin's brain is on a par with the human brain and is potentially capable of the same as the human brain. Such an organ, according to the American physiologist John Lilly, provides dolphins with verbal communication with each other and in the future will allow them to talk meaningfully with humans. Lilly proceeds from the fact that there is a critical size of the brain (1 kg), below which language is impossible. The bottlenose dolphin has an average brain weight of 1,700 g. This is more than the average person (1,400 g). The difficulty of verbal communication between a person and a dolphin is explained by the fact that a person hears only a small part of the signals of the second: after all, the range of frequency perception in dolphins is 10 times higher than in humans.
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Scientists have long noticed that advanced intelligence and evolutionarily developed brains are present in humans and other animals, which often exhibit social behavior. This prompted anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar to hypothesize the social brain. According to the theory, humans have developed large brains in order to be able to live in large social groups. Although in the last 20,000 years, due to the "domestication" of man, his brain has decreased in size, but before that, evolution had to quickly enlarge the brain of hominids in a relatively short time, so that people could unite in large tribes.
In social communication, it is very important to recognize the so-called "outside knowledge", that is, to understand the hierarchy, social relationships and relationships such as "she knows what he knows" and the like. For example, an alpha male in a chimpanzee chooses any females for himself, but at the same time tolerates attempts at mating with them from those who helped him to reign on the throne. Without a sufficiently advanced brain, such subtleties of the social hierarchy are impossible to assimilate.
Now a group of scientists from the United States and the United Kingdom has published a new scientific paper "The Social and Cultural Roots of the Brain of Whales and Dolphins", which confirms the hypothesis of a social brain.
Representatives of the order of cetaceans (dolphins and whales) have the most advanced nervous systems among all taxonomic groups, and they are highly regarded for any characteristic of neuroanatomical complexity. However, many cetaceans are also organized in hierarchical social structures and exhibit an amazing breadth of cultural and social behavior, the features of which - which are rare in animals - are very similar to the social behavior of humans and primates. But so far, very little evidence has been collected for a correlation between large brains, social structures, and cultural behavior in cetaceans.
Whales and dolphins display a wide variety of signs of highly complex social behavior, including:
- relationships in complex alliances;
- social transfer of hunting techniques (training);
- joint hunting;
- complex singing, including singing in regional group dialects;
- speech mimicry (imitation of other people's voices);
- the use of “voice signatures-identifiers”, unique for a particular individual;
- interspecies cooperation with humans and other animals;
- alloparental care for someone else's cub (for example, on the part of a female helper or "nanny");
- social games.
The researchers collected a large array of data on each cetacean species: body weight, brain size, the degree of manifestation of social communication according to the above characteristics - and calculated the correlation between these indicators. The first diagram below shows the relationships between species and brain size (red is larger, green is smaller). The second diagram shows indicators on social behavior (social repertoire). Finally, below is a graph of the relationship between these two parameters.
Scientists have found that the evolutionary development of the brain is associated with the social structure of the species and with the size of the group. Moreover, the relationship with group size is quadratic, that is, the most developed brain and advanced social behavior are shown by medium-sized groups, and not small or large groups.
The authors of the scientific work point to clear parallels between marine mammals and primates / humans. Dolphins and whales also have a combination of large brains, hypersocial behavior, and a variety of behavioral patterns. It was these qualities that allowed man to multiply in incredible quantities and populate the entire Earth. Scientists believe that dolphins and humans have intellectual abilities manifested in the course of evolution as a kind of evolutionary response to the need to live in a society of their own kind.
For several decades, scientists have been trying to understand exactly how the dolphin's brain works. Capable of learning, possessing their own social skills and clearly understanding human behavior, these mammals seem to have come from another planet - they are so different from representatives of the rest of the animal world.
Over the past fifty million years, dolphin brains have evolved to unprecedented proportions. One of the most recent published studies, authored by marine biologist Lori Marino, claims that dolphins and whales evolved backwards from land to ocean depths. Here are a few facts that support these bold findings.
Dream
Sleep deprivation kills any living thing - as surely as a gunshot wound. Only twelve days without rest is enough for a highly organized brain to shut down its main functions. But dolphins have learned to deceive the system: these amazing mammals are able to turn off, at will, half of the brain so that it can rest.
Language
Dolphins remain the only creatures in the world (apart from humans, of course) with their own language. They communicate using a complex combination of clicks and sounds. Moreover, the language of dolphins is complex enough to accurately coordinate the behavior of the entire flock. Researchers estimate the lingual reserve of an ordinary dolphin at 8 thousand "words" - for an average person it is only 14 thousand, while in ordinary life only about 1-2 thousand words are used.
Logical thinking
Scientists have found that dolphins have the rudiments of logical thinking. This is the highest form of intelligence that no one expected to find in mammals. Dolphins were able to solve various complex riddles, find answers to complex questions and even adjust their behavior depending on new circumstances set by a person.
Dimensions (edit)
The brain of an adult dolphin weighs more than that of a human - 1700 grams and 1400, respectively. In addition, dolphins have twice as many convolutions in the cerebral cortex as we do.
Self-awareness
The latest findings from scientists may indeed signal the presence of a serious social structure in dolphins. They have not only self-awareness (some other animals can boast of this), but also social consciousness, practiced in conjunction with emotional empathy.
Echolocation
The total number of nerve cells in dolphins is higher than in humans. This is partly due to the ability of mammals to echolocate: they literally see with their ears. An acoustic lens located on the head focuses the ultrasound, which the dolphin uses to “feel” underwater objects, determining their shape.
Magnetic sense
Another amazing property of the dolphin's brain was the ability to sense magnetic poles. Dolphins and whales have found special magnetic crystals in their brains that help these mammals navigate the vastness of the world's oceans. This feature can also explain the reasons why whales are thrown ashore: guided by the readings of their GPS, they simply do not notice it.
In Douglas Adams' brilliant classic, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there were several animals smarter than humans. One - not without irony - was an ordinary laboratory mouse. Another creature knew about the intergalactic bulldozers that eventually vaporized the planet, and tried to warn us of the coming fate. The dolphins' last message was misinterpreted as a surprisingly sophisticated attempt to double flip through the hoop whistling a hilarious song, but in reality the message was, "Good day and thanks for the fish!"
Dolphins are said to have an unusual level of intelligence that distinguishes and elevates them above the rest of the animal kingdom. It is widely believed that dolphins are highly intelligent (possibly smarter than humans), have complex behaviors, and possess proto-language abilities. However, recently, against the background of studies of these animals, a slightly different, in some places opposite opinion has developed.
The elevated status of dolphins among animals came with John Lilly, a 1960s dolphin researcher and addict to psychotropic drugs. He was the first to popularize the idea that dolphins are intelligent, and later even suggested that they are smarter than humans.
Ultimately, after the 1970s, Lilly was largely discredited and did not contribute much to dolphin science. But despite the efforts of mainstream scientists to distance themselves from his bizarre ideas (that dolphins were spiritually enlightened) and even the craziest (that dolphins communicate in holographic images), his name is inevitably associated with work on dolphin research.
"He is, and I think most dolphin scientists will agree with me, the father of dolphin intelligence," writes Justin Gregg in Are Dolphins Really Smart?
Since Lilly's research, dolphins have shown that they understand signals transmitted by a television screen, distinguish between parts of their bodies, recognize their own image in a mirror, and have a complex repertoire of whistles and even names.
In any case, all these ideas have recently been questioned. Gregg's book is the latest tug of war between neuroanatomy, behavior and communication - between the idea that dolphins are special and that they are on par with many other creatures.
Why big brains
So far, the debunking of dolphins' abilities has focused on two main themes: anatomy and behavior.
Munger, a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, previously argued that the dolphin's large brain was more likely to evolve to help the animal retain heat than to perform cognitive functions. This 2006 article has been widely criticized by the dolphin research community.
In his new work (also written by Munger), he takes a critical approach to the study of brain anatomy, archaeological records, and often-cited behavioral research, concluding that cetaceans are no smarter than other invertebrates and that their large brains have a different purpose. This time he cites many behavioral observations as an example, such as the recognition of the image in the mirror, which was carried out in September 2011 and appeared as a result in Discover. Munger found them incomplete, incorrect, or outdated.
Lori Marino, a neuroanatomist at Emory University who advocates brain intelligence, is working on a rebuttal.
Smarter!
Another argument - that the behavior of dolphins is not as impressive as it is said to be, is quoted by Gregg. As a professional dolphin researcher, he notes that he respects dolphins' cognitive "achievements", but feels that the public and other researchers have slightly overestimated their actual level of cognition. In addition, many other animals display the same impressive traits.
In his book, Gregg cites experts who question the value of the self-perception test in the mirror, which is believed to indicate some degree of self-awareness. Gregg notes that octopuses and pigeons can behave like dolphins when given a mirror.
In addition, Gregg argues that dolphin communication is overrated. While their whistles and clicking are certainly complex forms of audio signals, they nonetheless lack the characteristics of a human language (such as the confinement of finite concepts and meanings, or freedom from emotion).
In addition, he criticizes attempts to apply information theory - a branch of mathematics - to the information contained in dolphin whistles. Is it generally possible to apply information theory to animal communication? Gregg doubts, and he is not alone.
Gregg points out that dolphins certainly have many impressive cognitive abilities, but so do many other animals. And not necessarily the smartest: many chickens are as smart about some tasks as dolphins, Gregg said. Spiders also show amazing cognitive abilities, and in fact they have eight eyes.
Craving for knowledge
It's important to note that researchers like Munger are in the minority among dolphin cognitive scientists. Moreover, even Gregg is trying to distance himself from the idea of mediocrity in dolphins - he rather says that other animals are smarter than we thought.
Even Gordon Gallup, the behavioral neuroscientist who pioneered the use of mirrors to assess primates' self-awareness, expresses doubts that dolphins can do this.
“In my opinion, the videos from this experiment are not convincing,” he said in 2011. "They are suggestive but not convincing."
Arguments against the exclusivity of dolphins boil down to three main ideas. First, according to Munger, dolphins are simply not smarter than other animals. Second, it is difficult to compare one species to another. Third, there is too little research on this topic to draw strong conclusions.
Despite a reputation for being exceptionally intelligent, dolphins may not be as smart as they thought.
Scott Norris, writing for Bioscience, notes that "the dodgy Scott Lilly" did a lot to create the image of the "smart dolphins" in the 1960s. He was fascinated by dolphins and spent years teaching them how to talk. Lillies were unethical, sometimes even immoral, but he was not the only one trying to teach the language of animals, which were credited with the rudiments of intelligence. Complex communications are born out of social systems, and social interactions require other traits that are often associated with intelligence. It takes culture to form and remember social connections, learn new behaviors, and work together.
From this point of view, dolphins do indeed exhibit culturally and intelligently related behaviors and practices. Norris notes that studies of wild dolphins and whales show that their vocalizations are diverse and specific enough to be considered a language. Dolphins learn new behaviors easily and are even capable of imitation. They track complex social hierarchies within and between groups. They are even known to invent new forms of behavior in response to new situations, which, according to Norris, are considered by some scientists "the most distinguishing feature of intelligence." What's more, dolphins can even teach each other these new behaviors. Norris describes how some populations of dolphins used sponges to protect themselves from scratches and taught others this technique. This transfer of practices is viewed by many as the birth of a culture.
Yes, dolphins seem to be smarter than many species, but their behavior is by no means unique to dolphins. Many animals, such as wild boars, dogs, primates, or sea lions, have complex vocalizations, social relationships, the ability to learn, imitate, and adapt to new situations just as challenging. Many skills, particularly training, are more advanced in other species than in dolphins. Cultural exchange, which has yet to be proven in dolphins, is less common, but other animals are still not well understood. Other examples can be identified.
The problem is not only and not so much whether dolphins are smart, because on a certain level they are really smart, but whether they are smarter than other animals, and this remains to be seen. Dolphins love to attribute human traits. Many dolphins show "faces" and "smiles", which cannot be said, for example, about a wild boar. Looking at this grinning face, we begin to see people in dolphins. Are dolphins smart? It all depends on how smart you want them to be.
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