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What brain does a dolphin have?

The brain of a 300-pound (about 135 kilograms) dolphin weighs 1,700 grams, while that of a human weighing 65-70 kg. - 1400 gr. In addition, the dolphin has twice as many convolutions in the cerebral cortex, although in a cubic millimeter of its substance there are relatively few neurons in any case less than in the brain of primates. Therefore, one should 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 terms of intelligence.

Magazine: angler

Neuroscientists believe that the dolphin brain is on par with the human brain and is potentially capable of doing the same thing 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 make it possible to meaningfully talk with humans. Lilly proceeds from the fact that there is a critical brain size (1 kg), below which language is impossible. The bottlenose dolphin has an average brain weight of 1700 g. This is more than the average human (1400 g). The difficulty of verbal communication between a human and a dolphin is explained by the fact that a human hears only a small part of the signals of the second one: after all, the frequency perception range of dolphins is 10 times higher than that of humans.

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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 remarkably sophisticated attempt at a double somersault through the hoop while whistling a merry ditty, but in reality the message was: "Good luck and thanks for the fish!"

Dolphins are said to have an unusual level of intelligence that sets them apart and elevates them above the rest of the animal kingdom. It is widely believed that dolphins are highly intelligent (perhaps smarter than humans), have complex behaviors, and have proto-language abilities. However, recently, against the background of studies of these animals, a somewhat different, sometimes opposite, opinion has developed.

The exalted status of dolphins among animals came about with John Lilly, a 1960s dolphin researcher and psychotropic drug addict. He first popularized the idea that dolphins are smart, 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 dolphin research.

"He is, and I think most dolphin scientists would agree with me, the father of the study of dolphin intelligence," writes Justin Gregg in Are Dolphins Really Smart?.

Since Lilly's research, dolphins have shown that they can understand signals transmitted from a television screen, distinguish 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 ideas that dolphins are special and that they are on par with many other creatures.

Why big brains

So far, the debunking of dolphin abilities has dealt with two main topics: anatomy and behavior.

Munger, a researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, has previously argued that the dolphin's large brain most likely evolved to help the animal keep warm rather than perform cognitive functions. This article from 2006 was 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 much-cited behavioral research, concluding that cetaceans are no smarter than other invertebrates and that their large brains appeared for a different purpose. This time he cites many behavioral observations as an example, such as image recognition in a mirror, which was conducted in September 2011 and appeared as a result in Discover. Munger found them incomplete, incorrect, or outdated.

Lori Marino, a pro-brain intelligence neuroanatomist at Emory University, is working on a rebuttal.

Smarter!

Another argument - that the behavior of dolphins is not as impressive as they say - leads Gregg. As a professional dolphin researcher, he notes that he respects the "achievements" of dolphins in the field of cognition, but feels that the public and other researchers have slightly overestimated their actual level of cognitive abilities. In addition, many other animals show similar impressive features.

In his book, Gregg cites experts who question the value of the self-perception mirror test, which is thought to indicate some degree of self-awareness. Gregg notes that octopuses and pigeons can act like dolphins if given a mirror.

In addition, Gregg argues that dolphin communications are overrated. While their whistles and clicks are certainly complex forms of audio signals, they nonetheless lack the features of human language (such as the conclusion of finite concepts and meanings or freedom from emotions).

In addition, he criticizes attempts to apply information theory - a branch of mathematics - to the information contained in dolphin whistles. Can information theory be applied to animal communication at all? Gregg has his doubts, and he's 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 just as smart at some tasks as dolphins, Gregg says. Spiders also demonstrate amazing abilities for cognition, and yet they do have eight eyes.

Craving for knowledge

It is important to note that researchers like Munger are in the minority among scientists who study dolphin cognition. Moreover, even Gregg tries to distance himself from the idea of ​​mediocrity of 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 self-awareness in primates, expresses doubts that dolphins are capable of this.

“In my opinion, the videos taken during this experiment are not convincing,” he said in 2011. "They are suggestive, but not convincing."

The arguments against dolphin exclusivity boil down to three main ideas. First, according to Munger, dolphins are simply not smarter than other animals. Secondly, it is difficult to compare one species with another. Third, there is too little research on this topic to draw firm conclusions.

Despite their reputation for exceptional intelligence, dolphins may not be as smart as they thought they were.

Scott Norris, writing in Bioscience, points out that "the cunning Scott Lilly" was instrumental in creating the image of "smart dolphins" in the 1960s. He was fascinated by dolphins and spent years teaching them how to talk. Lilly were unethical, sometimes even immoral, but he was not the only one who tried 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. Culture is needed to form and remember social bonds, learn new behaviors, and work together.

From this point of view, dolphins do display behaviors and practices associated with culture and intelligence. Norris notes that studies of wild dolphins and whales show that their vocalizations are varied and specific enough to be considered a language. Dolphins easily learn new behavior and are even capable of imitation. They track complex social hierarchies within and between groups. They have even been known to invent new behaviors in response to new situations, which Norris considers some scientists to be "the most distinctive 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 the technique. This transmission of practices is seen by many as the birth of a culture.

Yes, dolphins appear 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 that are just as complex. Many skills, in particular learning, 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 not yet well understood. Other examples can be identified.

The problem is not only and not so much whether dolphins are smart, because at some level they are really smart, but whether they are smarter than other animals, and this remains to be seen. Dolphins like to attribute human traits. In many dolphins you can see "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.

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 skills.

One well-known neurophysiologist in scientific circles, who worked with dolphins for quite a long time, made the following conclusion - that these representatives of the animal world will 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 the animals drove away predatory sharks for several hours, not giving any chance to approach the person, and then helped them swim to the 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 will meet on the way.

Feelings and mind of an animal

It has been proven that the brain of a dolphin, like a human, 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.

Scientists have long noticed that advanced intelligence and an evolutionarily developed brain are present in humans and other animals, often demonstrating social behavior. This led anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar to propose the social brain hypothesis. According to the theory, man developed a large brain 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 increase 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, the alpha male in a chimpanzee chooses any females for himself, but at the same time he is tolerant of attempts to mate with them from those who helped him to reign on the throne. Without a sufficiently advanced brain, such intricacies of social hierarchy cannot be assimilated.

Now a group of scientists from the US and the UK has published a new scientific paper "The Social and Cultural Roots of the Whale and Dolphin Brain", which confirms the social brain hypothesis.

The cetaceans (dolphins and whales) have the most advanced nervous systems of any taxonomic group and rank highly on any measure of neuroanatomical complexity. However, many cetaceans are also organized into hierarchical social structures and display a surprising breadth of cultural and social behavior, features of which - which is rare in animals - are very similar to the social behavior of humans and primates. But so far, little evidence has been collected of correlations between large brains, social structures, and cultural behavior in cetaceans.

Whales and dolphins have a vast array of complex social behaviors, 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 to a particular individual;
• interspecies cooperation with humans and other animals;
• alloparental care for someone else's cub (for example, by a female helper or "nanny");
• social games.

All of these patterns of social behavior have been extensively studied and described in the scientific press, but so far there has been no comparative study of cetacean species in terms of the level of complex social behavior, the degree of application of innovations and the ability to learn new behavior - to compare the degree of advancement of social skills and brain size. Such studies have previously been conducted in birds and primates, but not in cetaceans. Now this gap in scientific knowledge is eliminated.

The researchers collected a large amount of data on each species of cetacean - body weight, brain size, the degree of manifestation of social communication on the above signs - and calculated the correlation between these indicators. The first diagram below shows relationships between species and brain size (red for larger, green for smaller). On the second diagram - indicators of 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 both large brains, hypersocial behavior and a variety of behavioral patterns. It was these qualities that allowed man to multiply in incredible numbers and populate the entire Earth. Scientists believe that in dolphins and humans, intellectual abilities manifested themselves in the course of evolution as a kind of evolutionary reaction to the need to live in a society of their own kind.

Ecology

Dolphins are cute and friendly sea creatures that are often confused with fish. However, dolphins are intelligent and inquisitive mammals whose mental abilities many surprise scientists.

Dolphins have evolved complex abilities living in the harsh conditions of the oceans and seas. For example, did you know that dolphins can stay awake for long periods of time, have unique spatial orientation abilities, have a magnetic sense, and can even control blood flow in their bodies?

Dolphin brain

Dolphins can't sleep

All animals on the planet need sleep, including humans. The world record for sleep deprivation belongs to Randy Gardner who hasn't slept in 11 days. However, already on the 4th day he began to hallucinate.

If a person does not sleep, he will eventually die. The same thing will happen to any creature with developed brain functions, except for the dolphins who, as it turns out, have learned to deprive themselves of sleep and still feel great. For example, baby dolphins do not sleep in the first month of their lives in the same way as their parents.

The thing is that these amazing creatures can turn off half of your brain for some time. Scientists continuously tested the reactions of dolphins for 5 days, and as it turned out, their reactions did not slow down. Blood tests for signs of stress or insomnia were negative. Dolphins can use this ability indefinitely.

Another study showed that dolphins can use echolocation for 15 consecutive days with almost perfect precision. This makes sense, as it allows the animals to always be on the alert and notice the approach of predators.

However, the most surprising thing is that part of the dolphin's brain is still asleep. At the same time, visual information begins to be processed by another, active part of the brain. In other words, if a dolphin "turns off" part of its brain, the second part of it can take on all the functions of the first. It's like having two brains instead of one.

Dolphin vision

Amazing vision of dolphins

It is known that dolphins use echolocation in order to navigate the world in which they live. Since visibility is poor in the depths of the sea, it is easier for animals to use sounds to "see" objects. You might think that they do not need vision at all, but this is not so.

Dolphin vision much better than it might seem. Firstly, their eyes are located on both sides of their heads, which allows them to cover a huge area. at 300 degrees. They can see what is behind. Second, each eye moves independently of the other, allowing the animals to look in different directions at the same time.

Dolphins also have reflective cell layer, which is located behind the retina and is called tapetem lucidem. This allows them to see perfectly in low light. Moreover, dolphins see just as well above the surface of the water as they can see underwater.

Dolphin skin

You may be wondering why dolphins are not latched onto by other marine life, such as barnacles. Whales are often hung with these creatures, but dolphins seem to have immunity. Dolphin skin always looks smooth, clean and shiny. What is her secret?

Unique dolphin skin has a lot of advantages. Firstly, the top layer of the skin - the epidermis - in dolphins is not rougher than in humans, it is in 10-20 times thinner than the epidermis of any land animal. However, it is growing 9 times faster than ours.

The unique lungs of dolphins

Dolphins are known to be excellent swimmers. For example, a bottlenose dolphin can hold its breath while underwater, up to 12 minutes while diving deep up to 550 meters! They are capable of this thanks to their unique lungs.

Although the lungs of these animals are no larger than ours, they work much more efficiently. With every breath the dolphin changes about 80 percent or more air in the lungs. We can only change 17 percent.

The blood and muscles of dolphins can accumulate and transport a huge amount of oxygen due to the fact that in the body of animals more red blood cells. This means a higher concentration of hemoglobin than in humans.

However, all this cannot fully explain how dolphins manage to hold their breath for so long and dive to such depths. Turns out the dolphins able to direct blood flow in the right direction. For example, during deep-sea diving, blood moves from the limbs to the heart and brain, improving their performance in extreme conditions.

Wound healing in dolphins

When injured, dolphins are able to miraculously restore health. From the point of view of science, their ability to recover is comparable with something fantastic.

For example, dolphins can survive severe injuries and can regenerate large amounts of damaged flesh in just a couple of weeks. Moreover, their appearance is able to return to its original form. without any scars or deformities.

By the way, dolphins also there is no bleeding. For example, a person with a serious open injury may die only due to blood loss. When injured, the dolphin directs the blood flow in the right direction in the same way as it does when diving, which does not allow it to bleed out.

Dolphin natural painkillers

Dolphins don't seem to care about inconveniences like physical pain. After they receive serious injuries that would immobilize any living creature on the planet, they can safely continue to play, swim and even eat normally.

With open wounds in dolphins, nerve endings are not exposed, which causes severe pain. This does not mean that they do not experience pain at all, they are also very sensitive, like us.

However, when seriously injured, dolphins just know how to.. ignore her. It is believed that their body is able to produce special painkillers, such as morphine, which, however, do not cause any addiction.

Dolphins developed such abilities during evolution, which allowed them to survive in dangerous conditions. For example, if a predator is chasing you, it is better not to show him that you are injured and that you are in pain. Then you have more likely to survive and not draw attention to yourself as weak and helpless.

Dolphins and infections

With open wounds on their bodies, dolphins are able to swim in water teeming with bacteria, and at the same time not pick up any infections. They don't even seem to be afraid of wounds from dirty shark teeth. A person in this situation would immediately die from blood poisoning within a few days. However, dolphins at least that!

It turns out that no infections cling to dolphins. It is known that the immune system of these animals is similar to ours, but how then do they manage to ward off all infection?

In fact, no one can say for sure where dolphins have such miraculous abilities. There is speculation that dolphins get some sort of antibiotics from plankton and algae.

The chemicals that these microscopic creatures produce have been found in dolphin subcutaneous fat. If the fat layer is damaged by injury, antibacterial substances are released.

How do dolphins manages to accumulate these life-saving substances under the skin, and not to process them during metabolism, remains a mystery to scientists.

Dolphins are the best swimmers

In 1936 the British zoologist Sir James Gray I was amazed at how fast dolphins can swim. He began to study their anatomy in great detail and found out that the skin of dolphins should have magical properties, which would prevent friction, only then would they be able to develop such a speed. This idea has been called "Grey's Paradox" and until 2008, scientists could not solve it.

Gray was partially right: dolphins do have anti-friction features. However, Gray underestimated the muscle strength of dolphins, which is 5 times greater than the muscle strength of the strongest person on the planet. Moreover, dolphins also know how to use their energy very efficiently.

A person can use only 4 percent of their energy to move through the water. Dolphins, in turn, transform 80 percent energy into thrust, making them the most efficient swimmers.

Dolphins magnetic sense

Why do dolphins and whales sometimes thrown ashore? This mystery has puzzled the minds of scientists for many years. Various theories have been proposed: strange diseases, environmental pollution, or testing of military equipment. However, research has not supported either of these theories.

Cases when animals washed ashore were recorded for many hundreds of years, but only recently scientists began to guess what main reason: it turns out that it's all about the Sun and the magnetic field of our planet.

The brains of dolphins and whales have special magnetic crystals, which allow them to sense the Earth's magnetic field. With the help of this built-in GPS system, they can move around the vast expanses of the ocean, orienting themselves in space without much difficulty.

One group of researchers mapped the east coast of the United States, where mass deaths of dolphins. As it turned out, these areas coincided with places where magnetic rocks lowered the levels of the planet's magnetic field.

Thus, a dolphin or whale that navigates by a magnetic field could simply "not notice" shore and landed on dry land.

Scientists also found that when the sun emits too much radiation, it affects the magnetic senses of marine mammals and also confuses them. Most animals wash ashore when the activity of the Sun is at its strongest. This may also explain why rescued animals return to shore again.

Dolphin electroreception

The echo sounders in the body of dolphins are truly incredible. Amazes their ability feel objects in the distance. Animals are able to send sound signals and listen to echoes reflected from objects.

If we add to this rare feeling the rest of the abilities of dolphins, which were mentioned above, we can conclude that dolphins really have fantastic feelings and abilities that distinguishes them from other living beings.

However, mother nature endowed them with something else: electroreception - the ability to feel electrical impulses sent by other living beings.

Guyanese dolphins live off the coast of South America and look similar to bottlenose dolphins. Researchers have found special indentations in their beaks, which are able to recognize electrical impulses sent by the muscles of fish.

A similar feature is found in animals such as platypuses. They use it to find fish hiding in the mud. Echolocation allows dolphins to determine the position of objects in space, but it not particularly effective at close range, so electroreception comes into play.