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 was aware of 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 somewhat different, in some places opposite opinion has developed.
Dolphin supremacy
The elevated status of dolphins among animals emerged with John Lilly, a 1960s dolphin researcher and addict. He first popularized 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 the science of dolphin cognition. But despite the efforts of mainstream scientists to distance themselves from his bizarre ideas (that dolphins were spiritually enlightened) and even the craziest ones (that dolphins communicate with 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.
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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.
In 2013, anatomist Paul Munger published an article in which he substantiated his position that the big brain of a dolphin has nothing to do with intelligence.
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 the 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 as an example many behavioral observations, 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, an Emory University neuroanatomist 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 “advancements”, but feels that the public and other researchers have slightly overestimated their actual level of cognitive ability. In addition, many other animals display similarly impressive traits.
In his book, Gregg refers to 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 human language (such as the confinement of finite concepts and meanings, or freedom from emotion).
He also criticizes attempts to apply information theory - a branch of mathematics - to the information contained in dolphin whistles. Can information theory be applied at all to animal communication? Gregg doubts, and he is not alone.
Gregg points out that dolphins certainly have many impressive cognitive abilities, but many other animals do too. 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 is important to note that researchers like Munger are in the minority among scientists studying dolphin cognition. 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 no 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. Lilly's experiments 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 memorize social bonds, learn new behaviors, and work together.
From this perspective, 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 easily learn new behaviors 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 culture.
Yes, dolphins seem to be smarter than many species, but their behavior is in no way 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 developed 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 have "faces" and "smiles" that cannot be said, for example, of 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.
Ilya Khel
