Dolphins are smarter than humans. Why big brains

website- For quite a long time, experts have studied the language of dolphins and have received truly amazing results. As you know, sound signals occur in the nasal canal of dolphins at the moment air passes through it.

It was possible to establish that animals use sixty basic signals and five levels of their combination. Dolphins are able to create a "dictionary" of 1012 words! It is unlikely that dolphins use so many "words", but the volume of their active "dictionary" is impressive - about 14 thousand signals. For comparison: the same number of words is the average human vocabulary. And in everyday life, people manage 800-1000 words.

Dolphin communication is expressed in sound impulses and ultrasound. Dolphins make a wide variety of sounds: whistling, chirping, buzzing, squeaking, squealing, smacking, clicking, grinding, clapping, roaring, screaming, creaking, etc. The most expressive is the whistle, the variety of species of which includes several dozen. Each of them means a certain phrase (alarm, pain, call, greeting, warning, etc.) American scientists came to the conclusion that each dolphin in the flock has its own name, and the individual responds to it when relatives turn to the dolphin. No other animal has been found to have this ability.

Dolphin Intelligence

The dolphin brain is similar in weight to the human brain. Size doesn't matter in this case. Swiss scientists who conducted research on the abilities of animals found that in terms of intelligence, dolphins rank second after humans. Elephants were third, and monkeys took only fourth place. Not inferior in weight to the brain of an adult, the brain of a dolphin, at the same time, has a more complex structure of cerebral convolutions.

Many scientists these days conduct various experiments with dolphins and come to unexpected conclusions.

In particular, the theory that dolphins, unlike other representatives of the animal world, use "their own language" - not only for communication at the level of survival instinct, but also for the accumulation and assimilation of significant amounts of information. The question is why they need it - if they do not have "intelligent life" in the human understanding. A lot of research is being done in this direction.

An important aspect is that dolphins “see” with their ears. By emitting ultrasound, they calculate the object, thus obtaining some kind of visual image. The hearing of these mammals is hundreds of times sharper than that of a human. He is able to hear the sounds of fellows for hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometers.

Their dolphin ear sensitivity level is located in the range of 10 Hz - 196 kHz. Perhaps the low-frequency limit is even lower. No living creature on Earth has such a wide frequency range.

With the so-called acoustic sounding of space, dolphins generate about 20-40 signals per second (up to 500 in extreme situations). That is, every second there is information processing comparable to the power of the most complex computers developed by man (Boris. F. Sergeev “Live ocean locators”).

It is assumed that from this kaleidoscope of information, the surrounding space and all objects in it are reproduced, which, in terms of their information content, is not comparable with our usual visual perception.

It is worth considering that a person receives 90 percent of information through the processing of a visual signal. So dolphins get it due to auditory and echolocation. Moreover, at a level at which a person cannot even create technical devices yet.

The "language" of dolphins

The speech of dolphins - all sorts of “unreasonable” sounds in the human eye, is already now, again on the basis of scientific experiments, considered by the level of complexity like any human language.

Russian scientists Markov and Ostrovskaya, studying the speech of dolphins, came to the conclusion that it surpasses the level of human complexity in terms of complexity.

Modern languages ​​have the following structure: sound, syllable and word. of which speech is made. When analyzing the sounds made by dolphins, 6 levels of complexity were identified, which has a structure similar to ancient, forgotten languages. Such languages ​​are based on something like linguistic hieroglyphs. When behind one sound designation (sound, syllable) - in such languages, the equivalent of a semantic phrase in our understanding is laid. In the case of dolphins, this is a definite whistle.

In the speech of dolphins, mathematical patterns were also found that are characteristic of written texts according to the hierarchy of information arrangement: phrase, paragraph, paragraph, chapter.

Learnability

What are the intellectual abilities of dolphins? First of all, it is worth noting the fast learning of marine life. Dolphins sometimes learn to follow commands even faster than dogs. It is enough for a dolphin to show the trick 2-3 times, and he will easily repeat it. In addition, dolphins also show creative abilities. So, the animal is not only able to complete the task of the trainer, but also to do some more tricks in the process. Surprisingly, this property of the dolphin brain: it never sleeps. The right and left hemispheres of the brain rest alternately. After all, a dolphin must always be on the alert: avoid predators and periodically rise to the surface for breathing.

Dolphins have truly amazing abilities. The famous American neuroscientist John Lilly, one of the pioneers who studied brain physiology at the University of Pennsylvania, called dolphins a "parallel civilization."

John Lill came close to establishing vocal contact with these animals. Studying the tape recordings that recorded all the conversations and sounds in the dolphinarium, the researcher drew attention to the explosive and pulsating series of signals. It was like laughing! Moreover, in the tape recordings made in the absence of people, some words that belonged to the operators and uttered by them during the working day slipped in a very compressed form! However, the process of teaching dolphins the human language did not go further. Thinking about the reasons for this, Lilly came up with a stunning insight: they got bored with people!

Dolphin therapy

It is actively used in modern medicine, the following facts are confirmed by official studies.

The fact that the patient is in an altered state of consciousness during the session is confirmed by electroencephalographic data (measurements are usually taken before the session and immediately after it). The rhythms of the human brain slow down significantly, the dominant EEG frequency decreases, and the electrical activity of both hemispheres of the brain is synchronized. This state is typical for meditation, autogenic immersion, hypnotic trance, holotropic breathing. In addition, psychoimmunological studies have shown that during sessions of dolphin therapy, the production of endorphins increases significantly. Endorphins help harmonize the nervous system and set it up for an active and positive worldview.

Material prepared
Ekaterina Sivkova

Look At Me deconstructs a popular misconception every week and tries to figure out why it is so attractive to most of the people who defend it, and, in the end, why it is not true. In the new issue - that dolphins have a reputation as the most intelligent mammals is completely unfounded.

Statement:

Dolphins are the most intelligent mammals on the planet after humans. The dolphin's brain is by no means inferior to the human brain in terms of structural complexity: it even has more convolutions and nerve endings.

The attention of scientists around the world to the extraordinary intelligence of dolphins was attracted primarily by the size of their brain. The brain of an adult weighs about 1,700 grams, while the average human brain weighs 1,400 grams. In 1961, psychoanalyst and neuroscientist John C. Lilly, in his book Man and Dolphin: Adventures of a New Scientific Frontier, stated that dolphins have their own language with 60 basic signals and 5 levels of their combination, and in 10–20 years a person will be able to master this language and establish communication. In addition, dolphins stand out from the background of other intelligent animals in the presence of self-awareness (they are able to recognize themselves in the mirror) and emotional empathy (willingness to help other individuals). In India, for example, dolphins are officially recognized as individuals, and dolphinariums are banned throughout the country because they violate the dolphins' right to freedom.

Chris Parsons

zoologist

“There is no doubt that certain dolphins have the ability to comprehend sign language and symbolic signs, as well as to recognize linguistic constructions (mostly written language) if they are accompanied by an action or display of an object. They are able to perceive complex linguistic constructs such as syntax, analyze the behavior of others, "cheat" for their own benefit, and recognize their reflection in a mirror - which some toddlers are not capable of. In fact, their level of intelligence and awareness is at the level of a preschool child.”

Why is it not:

The size of a dolphin's brain has nothing to do with its intelligence: Dolphins need big brains to keep warm and remember complex coastlines.

Justin Gregg, author Are Dolphins Really Smart? The mammal behind the myth, is convinced that the language of dolphins is extremely limited and therefore does not prove that they are intellectually gifted. No one denies that dolphins have a complex signaling system that ensures the transfer of information between individuals, but it can only be called a language conditionally. And the emotional sympathy of dolphins is extremely exaggerated: they are able to attack a person and kill the cubs of other species (for example, porpoises). According to Jay Mortan, an expert in animal acoustic communication, dolphins need large brains for nothing more than keeping their heads warm and navigating.

Dolphins are the smartest mammals on earth. The brain of a dolphin and are similar in structure. Despite numerous studies, they remain the most mysterious mammals on earth.

Studies of the extraordinary capabilities of marine life confirmed their intellectual abilities. Using MRI diagnostics, scientists found that the complexity of the brain structures in dolphins is not inferior to the human center, but, on the contrary, in comparison with humans, there are even an order of magnitude more convolutions and nerve cells.

The brain of a bottlenose dolphin has a weight of 1700 gr., only 350 gr. exceeding the weight of the central organ of the nervous system in an adult male. The external difference is only in the form: in mammals it has the shape of a sphere, the human brain is slightly flattened. The associative area of ​​the cortex is absolutely identical with a person, thus confirming the presence of intelligence in marine life.

The parietal lobe in dolphins is comparable in size to the parietal and frontal lobes in humans. The visual part of the brain (occipital), in mammals is very large.

Despite excellent vision, and the ability to move their eyeballs in different directions, thereby covering a radius of 300 degrees, mammals use ultrasound for vision - directing it to various objects. Pushing off, the sound returns, thereby the dolphin determines the shape and distance to the object.

Unlike humans, dolphin brains can do without sleep, which is fatal to humans. The peculiarity of these creatures is the ability to turn off one half of the center, while maintaining all reactions. One part of the brain takes over all the functions when the other is in a state of sleep - this is tantamount to having two centers.

Dolphins, like humans, have the ability to reproduce sound. Mammals can accurately copy the various noises or trills of birds. Communication between relatives occurs through signals that are formed by the passage of air through the nasal passages.

Dolphin Vocabulary:

• Basic sound signals (about 60);
• Five levels of their different combination;
• 14 thousand different signals.

This is identical to the human vocabulary and if you translate the sound of mammals into words, it will look like a hieroglyph. Dolphins have a good memory and mental capabilities, which allows, like a person, to pass on experience to generations.

A feature of the central apparatus in cetaceans is the presence of magnetic crystals that orient in a wide expanse of the ocean.

Who is smarter?

Numerous studies of the brain structures of cetaceans confirm their evolutionary development and the presence of a higher form of intelligence (logic). Australian scientists have attributed dolphins to the closest human relatives, based on DNA analysis.

Perhaps this became the basis for the hypothesis - all cetaceans are the distant ancestors of man and they were forced to leave the land for good reasons. The size of the hemispheres is explained by oxygen starvation and, as a result, an increase in the organ.

Scientists - ichthyologists have proven that the brain of mammals is capable of expressing feelings: jealousy, resentment, love. This indicates the presence of a long-term memory and a mind close to a person.

Certain individuals of dolphins perceive complex linguistic constructions and are capable of analyzing the situation. Their level of intelligence is similar to that of a preschool child.

The big brain in dolphins is not associated with huge intelligence - there are too few neurons. Marine life needs a central organ for spatial orientation and thermoregulation. Based on this, mammals occupy an honorable second place in intellectual development after humans.

Over the past 47 million years, dolphin brains have evolved to a size never seen before in other animals. The new, most extensive study of the fossil remains of these marine inhabitants has set itself the goal of describing the dynamics of the corresponding evolutionary development. Indirectly, this may help to answer the question of how people themselves became so "brainy".

As you know, dolphins are capable of "intellectual feats" inaccessible to other animals. So, they can recognize themselves in the mirror, like humans and some higher primates. Of course, everything this is associated with the truly gigantic brain size of dolphins. Thus, in some species, the ratio of brain mass to total body mass can only be compared with that of humans. But at what pace the development of the brain of dolphins took place, still remained a mystery.

Three researchers, led by American biologist Lori Marino at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, tracked the evolutionary changes in the dolphin brain using fossils.

After four years of working among museum collections, this team of scientists has identified 66 fossil skulls of ancestral dolphins, adding to the five previously studied. The brain sizes of these specimens were calculated using methods computed tomography(computed tomography - CT), and estimates of animal body mass were obtained by analyzing the size of the bones at the base of the skulls.

Fossil skulls up to 47 million years old have been studied. They were compared with 144 modern specimens, as a result of which the so-called EQ(encephalisation quotient - "coefficient of braininess") of each such creature. This coefficient connects the mass of the brain of a particular specimen with the average value of one or another type of animal of similar size, and if EQ is less than one, then this means that we are dealing with an "underdeveloped" creature, but if EQ > 1, then the brain considered relatively large. Humans are smarter than all other animals in this sense, with an EQ of about 7.

Remaining elements in the skeletons of dolphins confirm that they are descended from some kind of terrestrial quadrupedal mammals.

Blood tests suggested that cetaceans, which include dolphins, and ungulates are relatives. Once they returned from land to the water element (perhaps this was due to some kind of global catastrophe), eventually losing their hind limbs and acquiring fins.

Approximately 35 million years ago, these pinnipeds were the size of a small whale.- Approximately 9 meters long, had sharp teeth and an EQ of about 0.5.

And from that moment on, a mysterious change occurs: the old species inexplicably die out, being replaced by a new group called Odontoceti (a suborder of toothed whales).

The new study shows that all of these creatures were much smaller than before, had smaller teeth, but they dramatically increased the size of the brain. Their EQ jumped to 2,5 - a phenomenon that Marino associates with the development of echolocation skills, that is, the use of sound waves to locate objects under water.

The study also shows that approximately 8 of the 67 species of Odontoceti (including dolphins) went through a second EQ increase approximately 15 million years ago, reaching coefficients 4 and 5 , although the reasons for this second evolutionary leap remain completely unexplained.

There is only one similar case of "explosive" development of "mental abilities" among large animals, known to scientists today: over five million years of human history, EQ has grown from approximately 2.5 to 7. At the same time, the "mental abilities" of the rest of the "dolphin tribe For some reason, it went down.

"There is a myth that the development of life forms is always accompanied by an increase in brain size, Marino says. - However, from the point of view of animal metabolism (metabolism), mental abilities are very expensive, and therefore, according to the logic of evolutionary development, you need to have some extremely good reasons in order to "get" yourself a big brain". She adds that, according to another scientific myth, only one kind of creature with a large brain can develop at the same time and in the same place. However, new work shows that for 15 million years, many different species of dolphins and whales have happily coexisted in the ocean together.

Contact between humans and dolphins is one of the favorite subjects of science fiction. Moreover, the intelligence of dolphins in literature has become such a common place that, according to a number of American authors (Larry Niven, David Brin, etc.), dolphins in the future, together with people, will even be able to explore and populate the Galaxy.

Dolphins are the most intelligent creatures created by nature. For many centuries, their behavior has attracted and excited the imagination of people. Meeting with them can cause a storm of enthusiastic emotions. Myths and legends were written about their life. And the extraordinary abilities of these animals remain a mystery at the present time.

Into the depths of centuries

Dolphins appeared on Earth more than 70 million years ago. Their origin, which explains the ability, is shrouded in legends and secrets no less than the appearance of man. People have been studying how the dolphin brain works, their intelligence and habits for many centuries. However, these animals were able to study us much better. For a short period they lived on land, on which they left the reservoir, and then returned back to the water. To date, scientists have not been able to explain this phenomenon. However, there is an assumption that when people find with dolphins they will be able to tell us a lot about their lives. However, this is unlikely.

Weird facts about the dolphin brain

Scientists in many countries of the world are haunted by the brain of a dolphin. They try to understand how it works. These amazing animals, with social skills, trainable and understanding human behavior, are certainly different from other representatives of the fauna. Their brains have undergone unprecedented development over the past few tens of millions of years. One of the differences between dolphin and human brains is that animals have learned to turn off one half of the brain so that it can rest. These are the only representatives of the animal world, of course, except for people who are able to communicate in their own language, through the most complex combination of various sounds and clicks. Scientists have found that dolphins have the foundations of logical thinking, that is, the highest form of mind development. And this amazing fact has been found in mammals. These animals are able to solve the most complex riddles, find answers to difficult questions and adjust their behavior to the circumstances set by a person.

The brain of a dolphin is larger than the human brain, so the brain of an adult animal weighs 1 kg 700 g, and the human brain weighs 300 g less. The convolutions in a person are two times less than in a dolphin. Researchers have collected materials on the presence of these representatives not only of self-consciousness, but also of social consciousness. The number of nerve cells also exceeds their number in humans. Animals are capable of echolocation. An acoustic lens, which is located on the head, focuses sound waves (ultrasound), with the help of which the dolphin, as it were, feels the existing underwater objects and determines their shape. The next amazing ability is the ability to feel the magnetic poles. In the brain of dolphins, there are special magnetic crystals that help them navigate the water surface of the ocean.

The brain of a dolphin and a human: a comparison

Dolphin is, of course, the most intelligent and intelligent animal on the planet. Scientists have found that when air passes through the nasal passages, sound signals are formed in them. These amazing animals for communication use:

• about sixty basic sound signals;
• up to five levels of their various combinations;
• the so-called vocabulary of about 14 thousand signals.

The average human vocabulary is the same amount. In everyday life, he manages 800-1000 different words. In the case of translating a dolphin's signal into a human one, it will most likely resemble a hieroglyph denoting a word and an action. The ability of animals to communicate is considered a sensation. The difference between the brain of a human and a dolphin lies in the number of convolutions, the latter has twice as many.

Dolphin DNA study

Australian scientists after comparing the DNA of humans and dolphins concluded that these mammals are our closest relatives. As a result, the legend was developed that they are descendants of people who lived in Atlantis. And after these highly civilized inhabitants went into the ocean, no one knows exactly what happened to them. According to legend, they turned into inhabitants of the deep sea and retained love for a person in memory of a past life. Adherents of this beautiful legend argue that since there is a similarity between the intellect, DNA structures and the human brain with a dolphin, then people have a common beginning with them.

Dolphin abilities

Ichthyologists, who study the phenomenal abilities of dolphins, claim that they take the second place in terms of the level of intelligence development after humans. But the great apes are only the fourth.

If we compare the brain of a human and a dolphin, then the weight of the brain in an adult animal is from 1.5 to 1.7 kg, which is certainly more than that of humans. And, for example, the ratio of body to brain size in chimpanzees is significantly lower than in dolphins. A complex chain of relationships and collective organization indicates the existence of a special civilization of these living beings.

Test results conducted by scientists

When comparing the brain weight of a human and a dolphin and their body mass, the ratio will be the same. During tests on the level of mental development, these creatures showed amazing results. It turned out that by only nineteen points, dolphins scored less points than humans. Scientists concluded that animals are able to understand human thinking and have good analytical abilities.

One well-known neurophysiologist in the scientific community, who worked with dolphins for quite a long time, made the following conclusion - that these representatives of the animal world would be the first to establish contact, and consciously, with human civilization. And the fact that dolphins have an individual highly developed language, excellent memory and mental abilities that allow them to pass on accumulated knowledge and experience from generation to generation will help dolphins in communication. Another assumption of scientists is that if these animals had developed limbs differently, they would be able to write, due to the similarity of their minds with the human.

Some Features

During a disaster that caught in the sea or ocean, dolphins save a person. Eyewitnesses tell how animals drove away predatory sharks for several hours, not giving any chance to approach a person, and then helped them swim to shore. It is this attitude that is typical for adults to their offspring. Perhaps they perceive a person in trouble as their cub. The superiority of these representatives of the animal world over other inhabitants lies in their monogamy. Unlike other animals that look for a mate only for mating and easily change partners, dolphins choose them for life. They live in large families, together with the elderly and children, taking care of them throughout their life span. Thus, the absence of polygamy, which is present in almost all inhabitants of the fauna, indicates their higher stage of development.

The subtle hearing of dolphins

The uniqueness lies in the fact that the ability to reproduce a special sound with the help of a sound wave helps to navigate in the expanses of water over long distances. Dolphins emit a so-called click, which, having stumbled upon an obstacle, returns to them in the form of a special impulse that propagates through the water at great speed.

The closer the subject is, the faster the echo will return. Developed intelligence allows them to estimate the distance to an obstacle with maximum accuracy. In addition, the dolphin transmits the information received over great distances to its fellows using special signals. Each animal has its own name, and by the characteristic intonations of the voice, they are able to distinguish all members of the pack.

Language development and onomatopoeia

With the help of a special language, animals can explain to their fellows what needs to be done to get food. For example, during training sessions in a dolphinarium, they share information about which pedal to press in order for a fish to fall out. The human and dolphin brains are capable of producing sounds. The ability to imitate them in the latter is manifested in the ability of animals to accurately copy and transmit various sounds: the sound of wheels, the singing of birds. The uniqueness lies in the fact that in the recording it is impossible to distinguish where the real sound is and where the imitation is. In addition, dolphins are able to copy human speech, though not with such accuracy.

Dolphins - teachers and researchers

They teach their relatives with interest the knowledge and skills they possess. Dolphins take in information out of curiosity about learning new things, not under duress. There are cases when an animal that lived in a dolphinarium for a long time helped trainers teach their fellows various tricks. Unlike other seabed dwellers, they strike a balance between curiosity and danger. During surveys of new territories, they put on the nose capable of protecting them from all sorts of troubles that they will encounter on the way.

Feelings and mind of an animal

It has been proven that the brain of a dolphin, like a person, is capable of expressing feelings. These animals can feel resentment, jealousy, love, and they will express these feelings quite easily. For example, if aggression or pain was applied to an animal during training, the dolphin will show indignation and will never work with such a person.

This just confirms that they have a long-term memory. Animals have a mind close to human. For example, in order to extract a fish from a rocky gap, they clamp a stick between their teeth and try to push the prey out with its help. The ability to use improvised means is reminiscent of the development of man when he first began to use tools.

1. These animals have a well-developed intelligence.
2. When comparing the brain of a dolphin and a human, it was found that the brain of the first, unlike the human, has more convolutions and is larger in size.
3. Animals use both hemispheres in turn.
4. The organs of vision are underdeveloped.
5. Their unique hearing allows them to navigate superbly.
6. The maximum speed that animals can develop is 50 km / h. However, it is available only to ordinary dolphins.
7. In representatives of this genus, the regeneration of the dermis is much faster than in humans. They are not afraid of infections.
8. The lungs take part in breathing. The organ by which dolphins grab air is called the blowhole.
9. The body of the animal is able to produce a special substance, which is similar in mechanism of action to morphine. Therefore, they practically do not feel pain.
10. With the help of taste buds, they are able to distinguish tastes, for example, bitter, sweet and others.
11. Dolphins communicate with the help of sound signals, of which there are approximately 14,000 varieties.
12. Scientists have experimentally proven that each newborn dolphin gets its own name and that they can recognize themselves in a mirror image.
13. Animals are superbly trainable.
14. To search for food, the most common bottlenose dolphins use a sea sponge, putting it on the sharpest part of the snout and thus examining the bottom in search of prey. The sponge serves as protection against sharp rocks or reefs.
15. India has banned the keeping of dolphins in captivity.
16. The inhabitants of Japan and Denmark hunt them and use the meat for food.
17. In most countries, including Russia, these animals are kept in dolphinariums.

It is very difficult to list all the amazing abilities of dolphins, since every year people discover more and more new opportunities for these amazing inhabitants of nature.