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.
Fisherman and sailors have always told stories of playful dolphins, monstrous sea serpents, the magnificent albatross, and other things landsmen never see. Strange things come up in nets or are caught on fishing lines. Tales found in myths and legend often really occur on the high seas. Sailors never doubted that the creatures under the water had a mind of their own.
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 studies seem to validate the idea that sea creatures don't operate merely in established patterns of their species. Goldfish, once thought to have a memory lasting less than five seconds, can learn to operate feeding stations and even learn to come only at certain times of day. Moreover, they demonstrate the ability to remember learned skills for three months or more. They also learn to identify color-coded feeding devices, going only to those they have learned will dispense food.
Shows at aquariums have demonstrated to millions of visitors that Orca whales and dolphins readily learn to perform for rewards. It's obvious also that the animals play to the audience, often doing tricks when their handlers - and the buckets of fish - are not around.
Some of these animals seem to understand quite an astonishing number of words and to recognize certain people they are especially fond of. They often exhibit 'human' behavior; if a design is painted on a part of a dolphin's body that it cannot see, it will go to a mirror and examine itself, perhaps preening as if to show off the decoration.
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.
Animals on both land and sea have been observed using inanimate objects as tools. There are complex symbiotic relationships that raise questions. It just may be that sea creatures are smarter than we think. Scientists know that there is much still to learn about and from denizens of the watery realms that cover most of the earth.
Fisherman and sailors have always told stories of playful dolphins, monstrous sea serpents, the magnificent albatross, and other things landsmen never see. Strange things come up in nets or are caught on fishing lines. Tales found in myths and legend often really occur on the high seas. Sailors never doubted that the creatures under the water had a mind of their own.
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 studies seem to validate the idea that sea creatures don't operate merely in established patterns of their species. Goldfish, once thought to have a memory lasting less than five seconds, can learn to operate feeding stations and even learn to come only at certain times of day. Moreover, they demonstrate the ability to remember learned skills for three months or more. They also learn to identify color-coded feeding devices, going only to those they have learned will dispense food.
Shows at aquariums have demonstrated to millions of visitors that Orca whales and dolphins readily learn to perform for rewards. It's obvious also that the animals play to the audience, often doing tricks when their handlers - and the buckets of fish - are not around.
Some of these animals seem to understand quite an astonishing number of words and to recognize certain people they are especially fond of. They often exhibit 'human' behavior; if a design is painted on a part of a dolphin's body that it cannot see, it will go to a mirror and examine itself, perhaps preening as if to show off the decoration.
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.
Animals on both land and sea have been observed using inanimate objects as tools. There are complex symbiotic relationships that raise questions. It just may be that sea creatures are smarter than we think. Scientists know that there is much still to learn about and from denizens of the watery realms that cover most of the earth.
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