Any dolphin trainer will tell you that dolphins and humans can indeed communicate in a limited in fashion. This "limited fashion" involves learning certain trained tasks and expressing the desire for things such as food. The communication of more nuanced and involved thoughts or commands, however, remains un-cracked.
In general, dolphins make two kinds of sounds, “whistles” and “clicks” (listen to the false killer whales on this page). Clicks are used to sense their surroundings through echolocation, while they use whistles to communicate with other members of their species and very likely, with other species too.
Beyond echolocation, clicking and whistling, dolphins communicate with a variety of body language signals including tail and flipper slapping on water, leaping out of water, bumping each other and spy hopping.
This study shows evidence that bottlenose dolphins are able to respond to individual sound cues produced by humans, even when sounds are emitted in the air. This evidence contributes to our knowledge of the cognitive capacities of this species and the extension of its hearing capabilities.
These results suggest that dolphins discriminate human individuals visually during everyday life. However, when the main trainer and dummy person wore identical clothes, following accuracy was reduced. During this condition, trainers' faces represented the only explicit visual cues.
All the same, regardless of how unusual it might be when compared with other animal species, there is a stack of good scientific evidence that documents curious and friendly dolphin behaviour involving human beings, which is probably enough to support the idea that dolphins have an affinity for humans.
Dolphins have a reputation for being friendly, but they are actually wild animals who should be treated with caution and respect. Interactions with people change dolphin behavior for the worse. They lose their natural wariness, which makes them easy targets for vandalism and shark attack.
But dolphins only have one type of cone cell, so if they have any colour vision at all it is likely to be limited to colours in the blue/green spectrum. At times it can be difficult for dolphins to see and to assist them to 'see better' underwater they are equipped with echolocation, a type of sonar system.
Based on current metrics for intelligence, dolphins are one of the most intelligent animals in the world. While intelligence is difficult to quantify in any organism, many studies suggest that dolphins are second only to us humans in smarts.
So, how smart are dolphins? Well, it's believed that dolphins are actually the second smartest animal on the planet, next to humans. And yes, even smarter than primates. With a high brain-to-body weight ratio, dolphins are capable of complex problem solving and understanding abstract situations.
Dolphins are very tactile and social. They show affection for each other by rubbing each other with their pectoral fins. When actual mating occurs, it is completed very quickly, with the two dolphins swimming belly-to-belly during intercourse.
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) show the capacity for mirror self-recognition (MSR), an indicator of self-awareness, at an earlier age than humans and chimpanzees, as reported in a new study in PLOS ONE.
For example, the dolphin's vocabulary has approximately 36 “words,” while the figure for whales is about 23; the starling song repertoire is estimated at 119 to 202 songs.
Some scientists believe that dolphins instinctively come to the assistance of other injured dolphins and that it's a small step for them to help humans too. However dolphins obviously realise that humans aren't dolphins. Some scientists think dolphins help humans merely because they are curious.
Bottlenose dolphins swap signature whistles with each other when they meet in the open sea, a new study reports, suggesting that these marine mammals engage in something akin to a human conversation.
Dolphins follow boats out of curiosity, entertainment, and to catch a free ride with the current pressure. Dolphins burn less energy while achieving a higher speed when they swim in the wake a boat leaves behind. Dolphins may follow commercial fishing ships because they are trying to get a free meal.
The great apes are considered the smartest creatures after humans. Of course, humans are biased in this regard, but the intellectual capacity of the great apes is difficult to deny. After all, we share over 96 percent of the same DNA. Orangutans stand out as being especially gifted in the brains department.
Dolphins demonstrate the ability to do all of these things and most scientists agree that dolphins are very intelligent. They are notoriously talented mimics and quick learners; they demonstrate self-awareness, problem-solving, and empathy, innovation, teaching skills, grief, joy and playfulness.
It's just the shape of their face. Dolphins may look like they're happy to us, but their “smiles” are illusions. When humans smile, we signal happiness, contentment, and enjoyment to each other. But a dolphin's toothy grin is not an expression of joy – this is simply an anatomical anomaly.
No one knows why, but dolphins have been saving people for thousands of years. Dating back to Ancient Greece, there are dozens of claims of dolphins rescuing people from sharks, helping drowning sailors, and guiding boats through rough waters. But it's not just ancient mythology – it's still happening all the time.
As a child, you may remember squealing and screaming when you were excited about something. It turns out that humans aren't the only species that gets noisy when they're happy: New research shows that whales and dolphins “squeal with delight” to express glee, too.
DO NOT TOUCH the dolphins. If the dolphins want physical contact with people, they will initiate it. If you try to touch one dolphin, then all the dolphins invariably leave the area. Not only does this adversely affect dolphin behavior but it irritates the other people with your group since everyone loses on the swim.