Discussion
Dolphins use many types of fishing behaviour which are co-operative and require complex communications. They think up the behaviours and then work together, this all seems conducive to evolving intelligence as a survival technique. Similar to man in some ways as not the biggest, fiercest, fastest or best armed animal, but able to out think both predators and prey.
A few things spring to mind - cetaceans are evolved from terrestrial animals, so they have at times been subject to different selection pressures than fish. They are also large, long-lived social animals with extended care of offspring. There are fish which care for their offspring, but even they tend to invest less in their brood than mammals do.
All of the examples of unusually intelligent animals I can think of are homeotherms ("warm blooded" animals which maintain a constant core temperature). Reptile, amphibian and fish brains are less complex than those of mammals and birds. Perhaps a variable body temperature is inimical to evolving a large and complex brain. Perhaps you just can't run an efficient brain at room temperature. A big brain is an expensive thing to run - but perhaps it is less of a cost to an animal with a much higher metabolic rate to begin with.
All of the examples of unusually intelligent animals I can think of are homeotherms ("warm blooded" animals which maintain a constant core temperature). Reptile, amphibian and fish brains are less complex than those of mammals and birds. Perhaps a variable body temperature is inimical to evolving a large and complex brain. Perhaps you just can't run an efficient brain at room temperature. A big brain is an expensive thing to run - but perhaps it is less of a cost to an animal with a much higher metabolic rate to begin with.
Dr Jekyll said:
Why are dolphins smart? To be more specific, what evolutionary advantage did smart dolphins have over thick ones and why did this not apply to fish?
Communication perhaps?Perhaps if the apes had developed speech things might have been rather different - but even the smartest chimp can't say words, they just don't have that part of the brain.
uk_vette said:
Dolphins have two brains.
When they sleep, they shut down one brain, leaving them half awake, in case any predators.
Vette
One with two sides (like all mammals). The resting half at a time is interesting though. Birds can do it to some degree too while migrating, go on autopilot and keep flapping while having a snooze.When they sleep, they shut down one brain, leaving them half awake, in case any predators.
Vette
Dr Jekyll said:
Why are dolphins smart? To be more specific, what evolutionary advantage did smart dolphins have over thick ones and why did this not apply to fish?
How smart is it though?What about an octopus? Which is a cephalopod rather than fish
or mammal.
What is the ratio of brain power of a dolphin compared to an octopus?
And why are both smarter than people who bought SUV's when a nice sensible estate car would have suited them better?
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