Dolphins: The Second-Smartest Animals?

[n2doc]

New MRI analysis shows dolphins are smarter and more self aware than scientists had realized.

By Jennifer Viegas | Fri Jan 22, 2010 04:54 AM ET

When human measures for intelligence are applied to other species, dolphins come in just behind humans in brainpower, according to new research. Dolphins demonstrate skills and awareness previously thought to be present only in humans.

New MRI scans show that dolphin brains are four to five times larger for their body size when compared to another animal of similar size, according to Lori Marino, a senior lecturer in neuroscience and behavioral biology at Emory University, and one of the world's leading dolphin experts. Humans also possess an impressive brain-to-body ratio.

"If we use relative brain size as a metric of 'intelligence' then one would have to conclude that dolphins are second in intelligence to modern humans," said Marino, who performed several MRI scans on dolphin brains.

Marino will be presenting her findings at next month's American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting.

more:

http://news.discovery.com/animals/dolphins-smarter-brain-function.html


After this last week I vote that they are smarter than us.

[Richard D]

1. It's so hard for me to believe this.

I mean, second?

[hlthe2b]

14. Why?

[Richard D]

25. They seem in many ways smarter . . .

. . . than us.

[Matariki]

34. No kidding. Look how they spend their days compared to us monkeys.

And who's ever heard of a Dolphin War? Seriously.

[Sal Minella]

26. Final results aren't in until we take intelligence tests devised by dolphins.

I do not look forward to seeing the results.

[G_j]

2. if they are so smart

how come they haven't polluted the planet?
I've never seen them fly killer drones either.
:shrug:

[NorthCarolina]

7. I have heard that they have worked with the US Navy carrying suicide bomb packs though. eom

[TheDebbieDee]

21. Very good..........

[Joanne98]

3. I love dolphins

[ixion]

4. so long, and thanks for all the fish...

I believe they are smarter than us as well. Humans aren't very bright, collectively speaking.

[misanthrope]

8. You're right...

...Though the average bloke uses technology, scant few have the brain wattage to understand it, much less think of it for themselves. Left to their own innovation, most humans would still be living in the Stone Age.

[surrealAmerican]

31. That's because we are no smarter than stone age people ...

... but people during the stone age were very intelligent. We do, however, have one huge advantage over our stone age counterparts: written language.

[MorningGlow]

5. Disagree

Smartest. They knew when to bail.

[asdjrocky]

6. I would think they would be first.

They've learned how to be quite happy without cell phones, the internet or 401ks.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

9. Pa love Fa!

I am constitutionally unable to read any dolphin thread without posting that!

:silly:

[Cetacea]

32. ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqcoEEQgwGw&NR=1

[Xipe Totec]

10. It's true! They are second only to mice n/t

[azmouse]

11. I could've told ya that! LOL

:)

[elocs]

12. I had a teacher in college who believed that someday dolphins would inherit the earth,

that is as long as we didn't kill them off before we were finished messing up the world. No matter what, the Earth will go on one way or another.

[Captain Hilts]

13. Octopi are scary smart, evidently. nt

[alphafemale]

27. I was thinking that same thing.

Watched some sort of documentary a couple of years ago and I was really amazed that octopi were right up there with parrots, apes and dolphins.

Not something I expected, but there is plenty of evidence that this ranking is accurate.

[Cetacea]

28. Then they are up there with humans, too.

:)

[stuntcat]

30. oh yeah, octopi too!

YAY my favorite DU thread all day :headbang:

[L0oniX]

15. My African Grey is bummed out about that.

[n2doc]

16. But they might be #1!

Humans #3, or maybe 4....

[scheming daemons]

17. The haven't won the Vince Lombardi trophy since Super Bowl VIII

How smart could they be?

[Cetacea]

18. The pope has given his blessings regarding aliens.

If it eventually comes to pass that dolphins are smarter how would that affect humans? One can already see resistance to this possibility even in the scientific community. Second? Got Proof?

[branders seine]

19. Dolphins may be second smartest,

but there is no way in hell that humans are the smartest. Take a frigging look around.

[hfojvt]

29. no, mice are

doesn't everybody know that?

[Mari333]

20. ackkkkkkkk my dog is smarter then most humans.

"Emo Philips: “I used to think that the brain was the most wonderful organ in my body. Then I realized who was telling me this.”

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

22. re: brain size

Dolphins are very smart but something to note about brain size is that different animals have different evolutionary pressures to make their brains more compact and efficient.

Bird-brain is a negative term because birds have small brains, but they are not quite as stupid as that would suggest. A flying creature has intense evolutionary pressure to reduce brain-mass without reducing brain function.

We have some rather intense efficiency pressure because our brain size is at war with our bipedalism... there is only so wide human female hips can get before it makes it hard to walk and death in childbirth has been the biggest limit on humanoid intelligence for a million years.

If humans developed an abdominal birth orifice that didn't have to go though bones human brains would get bigger, but that kind of thing is hard to do via incremental steps.

(The tubing connecting human testes to the body is tied in knots because the testes have moved around over time and once the tubes get crossed it's difficult evolutionarily to walk it backward. Evolution is funny that way.)

Since dolphins have less pressure to develop compact brains and since they live in water where it is easier to haul a humongous brain around their brain size probably over-states their intelligence a little.

But they are plenty smart.

[Cetacea]

23. Nice theories. But theories just the same.

It could also be argued that large brains need large bodies to protect against various forces. It is evident that large bodies do not need large brains.

We just don't know at this point.

[proteus_lives]

24. And they taste great breaded with rice.

;-)

[Hugabear]

33. If they're so damned smart, why haven't they written any books? Invented anything? Huh?

At least according to something I heard Limbaugh say a long time ago, trying to make the case that humans were the only intelligent species on the planet. :puke:

[Trillo]

35. I wonder whether considering one species as superior

or more intelligent versus another species is at best a second-class idea.

[earth mom]

36. I'd love to go swim with the dolphins, but I worry that it's not good for them.

Love them. :loveya: