Inshore dolphins are smaller, lighter in color and live closer to the coast than offshore species.
Mind of a Dolphin
“Sometimes we think that intelligence is
equated with having an opposable thumb,”
says Reiss. Her research indicates that dolphins blow that theory out of the water.
“One of our earlier papers showed that dolphins can create their own objects of play.”
The dolphins she studied blew bubble rings
from their blowholes and figured out that if
they touched them, the rings dissipated. To
prolong the life of their self-made toy, they
moved it by blowing air or spitting water
at it. Dolphins will also manipulate these
rings by biting them to cut them in two,
sometimes sending one through the other
with an extra push.
“Dolphins are creative, intelligent and
very socially aware,” Racanelli adds. At the
National Aquarium’s Dolphin Discovery
exhibit, visitors can sit for hours just to watch
the creatures play, an act that Racanelli says
helps people connect with them because of
dolphins’ similarities with humans. Experts
are also on hand at the exhibit to answer
questions and discuss what it’s like to care
for, teach and build relationships with the animals. “Like us, they use tools, work in teams
and mourn the loss of relatives. Their brains
are as complex as ours, but they have evolved
very differently. In humans, the neocortex is
king; it’s the source of our rational, individualistic thinking. In dolphins, however, their
limbic system is far more developed. It’s in
the limbic brain that we process social, emotional and memory-based thoughts and feelings. When you consider how significant that
is to survival, you can’t help but wonder what
A MARITIME GUIDE
“Dolphins are very protected in our waters and in the waters of many other countries,”
explains dolphin researcher Diana Reiss. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case in other
countries, where whaling [exists] and dolphins are slaughtered.”
Threats to dolphin populations do exist in the U.S., however. Much of the damage done
domestically is through ignorance or misplaced affection. A large misconception many
people have of dolphins is that they are all friendly. The animals may approach boats or
swimmers, but oftentimes, the animals are merely curious.
Human and dolphin encounters should follow the Marine Mammal Protection Act
regulations. Among these:
• Use reputable boat operators who maintain a 50-yard distance from dolphins. If narrow
waterways prevent that, stop the boat propeller and cautiously float past the dolphins.
• Never feed wild dolphins. Almost anything fed to a dolphin is not healthy for them.
Feeding also trains them to beg boats for food.
• Touching the animals is illegal.
• “Respect them as societies in the sea,” says Reiss. “Observe them at a distance.”
PHOTO BY TORY KALLMAN
as well.” This occurs throughout dolphins’
lives, which can sometimes last more than
50 years.
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