People have been fascinated with the sea and its creatures since they first saw it. From the beginning, people harvested fish and shellfish from the ocean for food, but they also enjoyed the diversity of life under the waves. Over the centuries, people have become convinced that intelligent sea life exists.
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.
There might not be personal malignancy, as in 'Moby Dick', but there are plenty of instances when dolphins learn to recognize friendly divers, for example. Some divers say that even barracudas respond to repeated offers of food. Seagulls quickly take up panhandling if people on the beach feed them; in fact, it sometimes doesn't seem quite safe to do so, the birds get so excited and come in such numbers.
Modern research has found that the idea of intelligence in sea creatures to be valid. There was a study using goldfish - fresh water fish, it's true, but representative - that found that goldfish could learn to feed themselves by pushing a lever. Furthermore, when the device was set to distribute food only during one hour, the fish quickly learned to only work the lever during that time frame. They demonstrated the ability to retain this lesson for three months or more.
Almost everyone knows that seals, Orcas, and dolphins can be trained. These animals not only perform for a reward of their favorite food, but they seem to enjoy playing to an audience. They exhibit group behavior in the wild that helps them catch prey or protect themselves. Scientists are continually surprised at what they see.
People who work with performing animals know that they recognize words and music. They also become fond of people who they regularly encounter and who treat them kindly. Sometimes the animals display human traits. For example, dolphins who are decorated with designs on parts of their body that they cannot see will look at themselves in a mirror and seem to enjoy the novelty.
It is sometimes hard to distinguish between instinct, a fascinating subject in itself, and intelligence. Do salmon find their way on migrations with thought or with instinctive urges they mindlessly obey? Do they recognize landmarks to choose the right river and creek? Is maternal love as demonstrated by dolphins and whales merely a behavior pattern dictated by survival instincts? Those who believe in creation rather than evolution may have an easier time of believing that sea creatures can reason.
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.
There might not be personal malignancy, as in 'Moby Dick', but there are plenty of instances when dolphins learn to recognize friendly divers, for example. Some divers say that even barracudas respond to repeated offers of food. Seagulls quickly take up panhandling if people on the beach feed them; in fact, it sometimes doesn't seem quite safe to do so, the birds get so excited and come in such numbers.
Modern research has found that the idea of intelligence in sea creatures to be valid. There was a study using goldfish - fresh water fish, it's true, but representative - that found that goldfish could learn to feed themselves by pushing a lever. Furthermore, when the device was set to distribute food only during one hour, the fish quickly learned to only work the lever during that time frame. They demonstrated the ability to retain this lesson for three months or more.
Almost everyone knows that seals, Orcas, and dolphins can be trained. These animals not only perform for a reward of their favorite food, but they seem to enjoy playing to an audience. They exhibit group behavior in the wild that helps them catch prey or protect themselves. Scientists are continually surprised at what they see.
People who work with performing animals know that they recognize words and music. They also become fond of people who they regularly encounter and who treat them kindly. Sometimes the animals display human traits. For example, dolphins who are decorated with designs on parts of their body that they cannot see will look at themselves in a mirror and seem to enjoy the novelty.
It is sometimes hard to distinguish between instinct, a fascinating subject in itself, and intelligence. Do salmon find their way on migrations with thought or with instinctive urges they mindlessly obey? Do they recognize landmarks to choose the right river and creek? Is maternal love as demonstrated by dolphins and whales merely a behavior pattern dictated by survival instincts? Those who believe in creation rather than evolution may have an easier time of believing that sea creatures can reason.
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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