So many people love dolphins. Why is that? Could it be because they look cute and seem friendly to humans? Perhaps. Could it also be we admire their intelligence? Yes.
If you’ve ever been to a marine center or aquarium where they had dolphins, chances are you got to witness with your own eyes a dolphin show up close. Trainers seem to bond with these mammals, feeding them fish as a reward to get them to do “tricks” for the audience, like waving their fins at people or jumping through hoops. Interestingly, trainers will tell you sometimes they feel like the dolphins have trained them! Indeed, dolphins are quite smart, and can essentially make their own rules (and games!) around humans.
Dolphin brains have been found to be 25% heavier than human brains. The larger the brain, the more intelligent, perhaps? Also, dolphins have been studied to the point where they’ve been found to be smarter than gorillas and chimps. Of all the animals there are, dolphins are among the smartest.
As youngsters, baby dolphins are quick learners, following mom around and learning from her through imitating her behaviors. They learn to adapt to the society they’re born into and are known to value working together to reach their goals. Dolphins are great at teamwork. They form friendships. They’re likely to travel in pairs. At times, they’ve been known to form gangs!
Have you ever heard the noises dolphins make? They use clicks and whistles to communicate. While they don’t have a language, per se, humans have taught them to identify certain words and concepts using a form of sign language– pretty remarkable, right?
If you’ve dreamed of taking a boat out on the ocean to see dolphins swimming in the wild, Virginia Beach is a great place to have this sort of experience. Dockside Seafood & Fishing Center offers sunset cruises to see dolphins out by Cape Henry. Please call 757-481-4545 to inquire about our dolphin cruises.
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