Dolphins found using tools

[random_guy]

Researchers: Dolphins found using tools




WASHINGTON (AP) -- A group of dolphins living off the coast of Australia apparently teach their offspring to protect their snouts with sponges while foraging for food in the sea floor.

Researchers say it appears to be a cultural behavior passed on from mother to daughter, a first for animals of this type, although such learning has been seen in other species.

The dolphins, living in Shark Bay, Western Australia, use conically shaped whole sponges that they tear off the bottom, said Michael Kruetzen, lead author of a report on the dolphins in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

"Cultural evolution, including tool use, is not only found in humans and our closest relatives, the primates, but also in animals that are evolutionally quite distant from us. This convergent evolution is what is so fascinating," said Kruetzen.

Researchers suspect the sponges help the foraging dolphins avoid getting stung by stonefish and other critters that hide in the sandy sea bottom, just as a gardener might wear gloves to protect the hands.

Kruetzen and colleagues analyzed 13 "spongers" and 172 "non-spongers" and concluded that the practice seems to be passed along family lines, primarily from mothers to daughters.

"Teaching requires close observation by the pupil," Kruetzen said. "Offspring spend up to four years before they are weaned, so they would have ample time to observe their mum doing it -- if she is a sponger."

"This study provides convincing evidence that the behavior is transmitted via social learning," commented Laela Sayigh of the University of North Carolina Center for Marine Science.

"Such social learning appears to be widespread among the Shark Bay dolphins," said Sayigh, who was not part of Kruetzen's team.

Only one male was observed using a sponge. Kruetzen noted that, as adults, male and female dolphins have very different lifestyles.

Adult males form small groups of two or three individuals that chase females in reproductive condition, he explained. "I would think that they do not have time to engage in such a time-consuming foraging activity as adults, as they are busy herding females."

Currently at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, Kruetzen was at the University of New South Wales, Australia, when the research was conducted. The work was funded by the Australian Research Council, the National Geographic Society, the W.V. Scott Foundation and the Linnaean Society of New South Wales.

Very cool story. As for the evolution/creationism debate, this is just more evidence that humans aren't that special.

source

 

[ImmortalTechnique]

so long, creationists, and thanks for all the fish!


EXCELLENT article (now we just have to catch those darn mice at it!)

 

[Dr.GH]

Thanks for the link.

 

[larry lunchpail]

more evidence that humans aren't that special.

more evidence that we are the most awesomest.

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Sagrada_Familia.html

try building that with your spongy nose covers, you stupid dolphins!

 

[Palatka44]

So what the big deal, a crow will use a stone to bust an egg open.

 

[Late_Cretaceous]

Son: "Dad, I heard that Dophins are just as smart, or even smarter then humans."

Father: "Now son, that's just crazy. Humans build things like buildings, cities and roads. We have writing, science, engineering, governments and wars. We work everyday. Dolphins just play in the ocean all day long."

Son: "Gee Dad, I see what you mean. Dophins are way smarter then humans"

 

[Hungry Hungry Hippo]

I wonder how long it will be before God needs to send his only begotten dolphin son.

 

[Late_Cretaceous]

This from the onion.com


The Onion, 8/30/2000

HONOLULU--In an announcement with grave implications for the primacy of the species of man, marine biologists at the Hawaii Oceanographic Institute reported Monday that dolphins, or family Delphinidae, have evolved opposable thumbs on their pectoral fins.

"I believe I speak for the entire human race when I say, 'Holy *#$@,'" said Oceanographic Institute director Dr. James Aoki, noting that the dolphin has a cranial capacity 40 percent greater than that of humans. "That's it for us monkeys."

Aoki strongly urged humans, especially those living near the sea, to learn to communicate using a system of clicks and whistles in a frequency range of 4 to 150 kHz. He also encouraged humans to "start practicing their echolocation as soon as possible."

Delphinologists have reported more than 7,000 cases of spontaneous opposable-digit manifestation in the past two weeks alone, with "thumbs" observed on the bottle-nosed dolphin, the Atlantic humpback dolphin, and even the rare Ganges River dolphin.

"It appears to be species-wide," said dolphin specialist Clifford Brees of the Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory, speaking from the shark cage he welded shut around himself late Monday. "And it may be even worse: We haven't exactly been eager to check for thumbs on other marine mammals belonging to the order of cetaceans, such as the killer whale. Oh, Christ, we're really in the soup now."

Thus far, all the opposable digits encountered appear to be fully functional, making it possible for dolphins--believed to be capable of faster and more complex cogitation than man--to manipulate objects, fashion tools, and construct rudimentary pulley and lever systems.

"They really seem to be making up for lost time with this thumb thing," said Dr. Jim Kuczaj, a University of California–San Diego biologist who has studied the seasonal behavior of dolphins for more than 30 years. "Last Friday, a crude seaweed-and-shell abacus washed up on the beach near Hilo, Hawaii. The next day, a far more sophisticated abacus, fashioned from some unknown material and capable of calculating equations involving numbers of up to 16 digits, washed up on the same beach. The day after that, the beach was littered with thousands of what turned out to be coral-silicate and kelp-based biomicrocircuitry."

"My God," Kuczaj added. "What are they doing down there?"

It is unknown what precipitated the dolphins' sudden development of opposable thumbs. Some dolphin behaviorists believe that the gentle marine mammal, pushed to the brink by humanity's reckless pollution and exploitation of the sea, tapped into some previously unmined mental powers to spontaneously generate a thumb-like appendage. However, given that 95 percent of the world's dolphin experts have committed suicide since learning of the development, the full story may never be known.

"You must believe, sleek ocean masters, that many of us homo sapiens weep with shame and disgust over the degradation to which our species has subjected our All-Mother, the Great World-Sea," read the suicide note of Dr. Richard Morse, a Brisbane, Australia, delphinologist and regular contributor to Marine Mammal Science. "If you are reading this, I estimate that it is the day we know as August 31, 2000. Please be decent and kind masters to our poor ape-race. Oh, God, I'm so sorry about the tracking collars."

"Scientists once wondered whether dolphins, with their remarkably advanced social and language structures, are actually smarter than we are," said Aoki, ushering reporters out of the laboratory he claimed "will either be a smoking hole or a zoo exhibit in the coming Dolphin Age." "Well, we're not wondering anymore."

 

[ImmortalTechnique]

I wonder how long it will be before God needs to send his only begotten dolphin son.

the vogons are coming first

 

[Code-Monkey]

Very cool story. As for the evolution/creationism debate, this is just more evidence that humans aren't that special.

source

I'm not sure I understand... Is the idea that if God created the universe and everything in it that he would have ONLY given humans the ability to use tools? So are argument here is thus:

1. If God created the universe, then he only gave man the ability to use tools.
2. Dolphins, monkeys, and other creatures use tools.
3. Therefore God did not create the universe.

Hmm... Does anyone want to give a shot at explaining why #1 is true? Then after that, does anyone want to prove or explain why a God couldn't have even further created an even more intelligent, alien race that exists on some other planet?

 

[ChrisS]

Doesn't contradict the Bible, or what I believe creation science to be. When I see a non-human start speaking english, get a job, and become a christian, I'll believe common descent to be true .

 

[random_guy]

I'm not sure I understand... Is the idea that if God created the universe and everything in it that he would have ONLY given humans the ability to use tools? So are argument here is thus:

1. If God created the universe, then he only gave man the ability to use tools.
2. Dolphins, monkeys, and other creatures use tools.
3. Therefore God did not create the universe.

Hmm... Does anyone want to give a shot at explaining why #1 is true? Then after that, does anyone want to prove or explain why a God couldn't have even further created an even more intelligent, alien race that exists on some other planet?

I never implied 1). I just wanted to bring this up because there are those people who think of humans a being specially created as is, and that they are above all other creatures. This is more evidence that we are not so unique. I'm sure humans (as a species) had to start using tools somewhere, and the only difference is that we used sticks and dolphins used sponges.

I wonder what would happen if we all disappeared and left the oceans to the dolphins. Who knows what will happen 50 thousand or 500 thousand years down the line.

 

[Bargainfluger]

Doesn't contradict the Bible, or what I believe creation science to be. When I see a non-human start speaking english, get a job, and become a christian, I'll believe common descent to be true .

So a talking, working, Muslim orangutan isn't proof of common descent? What about a Christian lemur who has a high IQ, can speak, but just has no motivation and stays at home eating stale corn chips?

 

[ChrisS]

So a talking, working, Muslim orangutan isn't proof of common descent? What about a Christian lemur who has a high IQ, can speak, but just has no motivation and stays at home eating stale corn chips?

Lol, I guess it would be, but a christian lemur would prove to me that animals can become christian, and that would be very satisfying, I'd definately become a vegetarian after that! . Sorry, but some monkey's already do that, animals can keep their sinful laziness to themself .

Yum, corn chips .

 

[Late_Cretaceous]

If you like dolphins you should see this. On second thought maybe not.

Warning - graphic

 

[HRE]

It's actually very interesting, because it is believed that tool use leads to intelligence increase leads to greater tool use and so forth. This is a pattern that dolphins (some seriously smart mammals) may begin to express.

 

[Douglaangu v2.0]

It's actually very interesting, because it is believed that tool use leads to intelligence increase leads to greater tool use and so forth. This is a pattern that dolphins (some seriously smart mammals) may begin to express.

Carl Sagan brought this up in Dragons of Eden.
What would happen when the chimps taught to use sign language teach it to their familys, and use it?