The oceans have always held fascination for mankind. More than merely seeing it as a rich source of food, people have been captivated by the mysterious depths, the crashing waves, the wind and the weather that make the seas nothing man can conquer. Those who sought to understand life on the salt water were the first scientists, making observations and drawing conclusions. The conclusions were often wrong, but that could be said of modern researchers today. Still, the idea that intelligent sea life exists is accepted by most who study the ocean.
People alive today say they have been rescued by dolphins, who nudged them to shallow water after they had fallen from their boat. Whales seem to communicate with each other by song; some recent studies say that new songs are constantly being composed by these massive creatures. Those who spent their lives on the high seas learned all they could, since that could spell the difference between life and death, or at least between a profitable journey and financial disaster.
Divers in tropical waters say that dolphins, barracuda, and other denizens of the deep recognize them after a few encounters. Dolphins often interact with people. Seagulls are famous panhandlers, flocking so quickly and thickly that people learn not to throw bread on the water.
Modern studies seem to validate the idea that sea creatures don't operate merely in established patterns of their species. Goldfish, once thought to have a memory lasting less than five seconds, can learn to operate feeding stations and even learn to come only at certain times of day. Moreover, they demonstrate the ability to remember learned skills for three months or more. They also learn to identify color-coded feeding devices, going only to those they have learned will dispense food.
Shows at aquariums have demonstrated to millions of visitors that Orca whales and dolphins readily learn to perform for rewards. It's obvious also that the animals play to the audience, often doing tricks when their handlers - and the buckets of fish - are not around.
Some of these animals seem to understand quite an astonishing number of words and to recognize certain people they are especially fond of. They often exhibit 'human' behavior; if a design is painted on a part of a dolphin's body that it cannot see, it will go to a mirror and examine itself, perhaps preening as if to show off the decoration.
Scientists classify some 'smart' behavior as instinct rather than reasoning. The study of instinctive behavior is fascinating, but many researchers are probing beyond things like migrations and survival instincts. They have documented examples of maternal love in whales and dolphins that seem to be as intense as that of humans. Those who believe in pure evolution may have a hard time with the many documented examples of what looks a lot like reason in sea creatures.
Animals on both land and sea have been observed using inanimate objects as tools. There are complex symbiotic relationships that raise questions. It just may be that sea creatures are smarter than we think. Scientists know that there is much still to learn about and from denizens of the watery realms that cover most of the earth.
People alive today say they have been rescued by dolphins, who nudged them to shallow water after they had fallen from their boat. Whales seem to communicate with each other by song; some recent studies say that new songs are constantly being composed by these massive creatures. Those who spent their lives on the high seas learned all they could, since that could spell the difference between life and death, or at least between a profitable journey and financial disaster.
Divers in tropical waters say that dolphins, barracuda, and other denizens of the deep recognize them after a few encounters. Dolphins often interact with people. Seagulls are famous panhandlers, flocking so quickly and thickly that people learn not to throw bread on the water.
Modern studies seem to validate the idea that sea creatures don't operate merely in established patterns of their species. Goldfish, once thought to have a memory lasting less than five seconds, can learn to operate feeding stations and even learn to come only at certain times of day. Moreover, they demonstrate the ability to remember learned skills for three months or more. They also learn to identify color-coded feeding devices, going only to those they have learned will dispense food.
Shows at aquariums have demonstrated to millions of visitors that Orca whales and dolphins readily learn to perform for rewards. It's obvious also that the animals play to the audience, often doing tricks when their handlers - and the buckets of fish - are not around.
Some of these animals seem to understand quite an astonishing number of words and to recognize certain people they are especially fond of. They often exhibit 'human' behavior; if a design is painted on a part of a dolphin's body that it cannot see, it will go to a mirror and examine itself, perhaps preening as if to show off the decoration.
Scientists classify some 'smart' behavior as instinct rather than reasoning. The study of instinctive behavior is fascinating, but many researchers are probing beyond things like migrations and survival instincts. They have documented examples of maternal love in whales and dolphins that seem to be as intense as that of humans. Those who believe in pure evolution may have a hard time with the many documented examples of what looks a lot like reason in sea creatures.
Animals on both land and sea have been observed using inanimate objects as tools. There are complex symbiotic relationships that raise questions. It just may be that sea creatures are smarter than we think. Scientists know that there is much still to learn about and from denizens of the watery realms that cover most of the earth.
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