how do they know dolphins are intellegent?
494739
They're the only animals on earth (other than humans) that have sex for pleasure. How much more intelligent could you get? :D
1094350
who says humans are smarter than other species?? what is your measure of intellegence?
512817
because they are smart !
610246
I think it's harder for dolphins to learn than it is for people.
1073149
Dolphins -\nThey are intelligent and communicate, they have sex for fun, and they live free and peacefully.
74215
I agree with big brain, they are some of the most efficent and dangerous killers in the animal kingdom. \n\nAlthough they do have communication patterns. Male crocodiles let out a low grunt when they are searching for a mate. And baby crocodiles let out a high pitch grunt when they are in danger. Not too sure about the sharks though.\n\nMost of the time though as big brain said they are solitary animals.
595160
Okay, all very cute answers.  But here a more serious one.  Indeed, there have been reports of dolphins kept in captivity that got aroused by physical interactions with their trainers.  In one of these incidences, the trainer was in the water with the animal and touching its belly, upon which the male dolphin sported an erection and the penis popped out its pouch.  Now, was that true arousal?  Probably.  What does it mean?  Possibly a very close relationship (of course not sexual) of the trainer and the animal, possibly a sign of trust, maybe more, who knows.  Now, I can't recall ever having heard about anyone touching the dolphins genitals to go further.  \n\nCan I ask you something?  Why do you want to know????  I am not sure it's safe to say, dolphins are the better lovers...  (Swim carefully, young grashopper...)
484052
we don't know for sure.\n\nbut i'd like to think so.\n\ngotta be something smarter than humans\n\n(besides dolphins..and mice.)
602970
It all depends on how exactly you measure intelligence.\n\nPsychologists have long known, and a small handful of educators are slowly attempting to point out to their hidebound school boards that not every person has the same kind of intelligence, and not everyone's mind works the same way.\n\nJust as some people might be superlative in solving logical problems, working mathematical equations and writing elegant code, but be totally abyssmal in inter-personal relationships, or be incapable of remembering what they were supposed to buy on the way home, there may well be different types of intelligence in the animal kingdom.\n\nFor example, there is a large body of evidence that indicates that camels are actually masters at complex theoretical and practical mathematics.  Their lack of natural curiosity and obstinate, ornery natures tends to restrict the expression of this genius to the real-world practical applications of applied ballistics, and use their talents only for accurately placing fetid gobs of spit.\n\nDolphins are often noted for their large brain size, and their intricate social lives that include clever strategems used in pack hunting of reef fish, but as it turns out reef fish aren't really that difficult to outsmart, and the dolphins don't even use most of their capability for intelligence.  They are afraid it makes them look too dorky, and so they spend most of their time gossipping, discussing which other dolphins are the cutest, what the latest fashions in coral colour are, how cool it would be if someone invented waterproof make-up, Tom Cruise, and other mindless drivel.  Sometimes it just breaks their mother's heart when she thinks of all that wasted talent.\n\nHippos are indeed fairly intelligent, but mostly in the fields of biochemistry and Russian literature.  Because they are rarely exposed to these stimuli, they tend to be very ornery, and work out their frustrations by tearing people and crocodiles in half, and then spreading poo everywhere.  Which, if you read carefully, are also common themes in Russian literature.
1181090
You are so funny!!!  I'll just bet they do.  Animals are smarter than their human counterparts.
368072
It will vary from dolphin to dolphin. Certain dolphins will prefer different rewards over others. That is why dolphin trainers learn the personalities of the dolphins to see what they like as a reinforcement. Just like dogs, they preference over certain things.
423981
wierd question-som scientists believe th@ they r actually mor intelligent,but they still haven't proved th@ rite?
82121
EASY !!  A dolphin.. And I didn't just write that because it was mentioned on your list. You'll find dolphins in every room of my home, and I swim with them every time I get a chance to do so ! They are magnificent mammals !!
106270
Yes, if you know how to speak in thier "language". Dolphins are alot smarter than we are. You can 'speak" to any animal if you know how to "listen" to them. You"listen" by watching thier actions, facial expressions, body language, and by listening to the different sounds they make.
205199
All species of dolphins use sound for echolocation. Using their melon (the bulbous portion of their forehead), they create a sound that bounces off objects around them. The returning echo of the sound gives the dolphin information about the location and physical description of the object. I don't know much about the actual workings of the brain though, but I do know that the dolphins sonar is much more advanced than human technology and can pin point exact information about it's surroundings ranging from size, distance and even the nature of the object. Dolphin Speech is so complex that the sounds even cross the species barriers and enable different kinds of dolphins to communicate.  They have been known to instruct each other as well as receive instructions and act accordingly.
448373
Much to the dissmay of Noam Chomsky, it appears that differnent non-human animals do have varying degrees of linguistical comprehension ability.\n\nChimps and Gorillas can be taught the ability to use sign language to some degree and they demonstrate the ability to understand spoken language. \n\nMany mammals can understand certain phrases and/or words, some relying more heavily on tones than others. Parrots of course can speak more clearly than any non-human animal and African Grey's have demonstrated actual understanding of some of the words spoken to them by picking out objects asked of them, such as a toy car, and even identifying the color. \n\nResearch has even shown that even the lowly rat can distinguish the difference between the sound patterns of different human languages. Of course it's unlikely they are able to understand any words to any degree but it does underscore the importance of communication and the fact that social animals are biologically hard wired for it.
462727
Porpoises (I assume you mean small cetaceans) hunt their food with natural sonar (like bats), and it's sensitive enough for them to distinguish between healthy fish and sick fish (or, presumably, dead fish). So they're not likely to go for a baited hook.\n\nBut the question is, why would you want to catch them?