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.
The first scientists were simply people who knew a lot about plants and animals that surrounded them, heavenly bodies they could see, and the rhythms of life: seasons, day and night, high and low tide, and other natural phenomena. At first there was a treasury of anecdotal lore. Fishermen would watch dolphins at play, whales with their young, marine birds soaring over land and sea, and strange creatures they found in their nets or on their lines. Sometimes things could only be explained in myths and fantasy, but other things could mean the difference between a good catch or an empty boat or even between life and death.
Divers in tropical waters say that dolphins, barracuda, and other denizens of the deep recognize them after a few encounters. Dolphins often interact with people. Seagulls are famous panhandlers, flocking so quickly and thickly that people learn not to throw bread on the water.
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.
Octopus may camouflage themselves with shells. Whales may work together to capture prey or sing a new song, never recorded before. Creatures have been observed using inanimate objects as tools. Some denizens of the deep live together in symbiotic relationships that seem to require intent and choice. It could be true that animals under the sea are thinking all the time.
The first scientists were simply people who knew a lot about plants and animals that surrounded them, heavenly bodies they could see, and the rhythms of life: seasons, day and night, high and low tide, and other natural phenomena. At first there was a treasury of anecdotal lore. Fishermen would watch dolphins at play, whales with their young, marine birds soaring over land and sea, and strange creatures they found in their nets or on their lines. Sometimes things could only be explained in myths and fantasy, but other things could mean the difference between a good catch or an empty boat or even between life and death.
Divers in tropical waters say that dolphins, barracuda, and other denizens of the deep recognize them after a few encounters. Dolphins often interact with people. Seagulls are famous panhandlers, flocking so quickly and thickly that people learn not to throw bread on the water.
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.
Octopus may camouflage themselves with shells. Whales may work together to capture prey or sing a new song, never recorded before. Creatures have been observed using inanimate objects as tools. Some denizens of the deep live together in symbiotic relationships that seem to require intent and choice. It could be true that animals under the sea are thinking all the time.
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