AS SMART AS HUMANS?

DOLPHINS AND WHALES COME CLOSE, SAY RESEARCHERS



Dolphin and whale watchers have known the truth about these remarkable creatures for years, but it's taken time for the scientific researchers to catch up. And they seemed startled by revelations that environmentalists, fighting for the protection of dolphin and whale habitats, have been telling the world for decades.

Dolphins and whales are not just smart, they can tools, language, express grief, show empathy and compassion and solve complex problems.

From The UK Independent :

A growing number of behavioural studies strongly suggest that whale and dolphin brain power is matched only by the higher primates, including man....

For instance, captive animals have been shown unequivocally to be able to recognise themselves in a mirror, which was previously known to be the domain only of humans and the great apes.

Dolphins can "point" at objects with their heads to guide humans to them, and they can also manipulate objects spontaneously, despite their lack of fingers and thumbs.

There is a well-documented use of tools in an Australian population of wild Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins...

They show remarkably human-like emotions, ranging from joy to grief to care for the injured.

(In one example cited in a report) a 30-strong pod of false killer whales which remained with an injured member in shallows for three days, exposing themselves to sunburn and the risk of stranding, until it died.

Go Here To Read The Whole Story

Dolphins Can Feel Joy And Sadness

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