So what is behind all those tricks that you see in those sea world shows, where dolphins do amazing tricks and respond almost instantaneously to signals given by their trainers? Is it all just training? Are they just like to dogs, sea lions or parrots trained to interact in various ways?
It was amazing to see how the dolphin was able to not only acknowledge what was in the pool, but also respond to questions asked about them. What more, when asked for a hoop, it took the basket and indicated 'no', as if to show that he should have asked for the basket, and not the hoop. This interaction with its trainer actually showed that the dolphin was able to display a great level of understanding and intelligence.
I was surprised by its level of intelligence. After doing further reading up, i was amazed to find out that dolphins are 2nd only to humans in terms of brain size to body size. The brain of a bottle nose dolphin can weigh up to 5 pounds! But size of the brain alone does not indicate intelligence levels. Also, the way the dolphin brain is structured ( how it is segmeted into different parts and its links to different senses) is comparable only to the Human brain.
Experts normally measure mammal intelligence not only based on brain size and structure but also through other indicators such as communication and interaction, and playfulness is usually seen as a hallmark of intelligence. There are numerous cases of how dolphins playfully interact and tease not only humans but other animals as well, such as snatching at a tail of an unsuspecting pelican and bothering a sea turtle by rolling over it again and again. Many experiments, like the one in the video have also been done, showing clear indications of fast learning and good understanding. Experiments and studies are still on going to find out the exent of dolphin intelligence.
I agree with the many marine biologists and scientists out there. It is only a matter of time before we discover the true level dolphin intelligence.
Notes:
1) http://home.snafu.de/ulisses/tursiops.htm
2) http://tursiops.org/dolfin/guide/smart.html
3) http://www.littletownmart.com/dolphins/
4) http://www.mindbodytravel.com/dolphinintelligence.htm