No, the author doesn't. On the other hand, you can quickly arrive at most of the same conclusion if you've spent extended time with dolphins. I always chuckle

No, the author doesn't. On the other hand, you can quickly arrive at most of the same conclusion if you've spent extended time with dolphins. I always chuckle when I'm told the Marine Mammal Protection act prohibits pursuit of dolphins. It is usually me who is being pursued. During one fishing trip we had 3 dolphins simply show up and start following us. When we would move fishing spots, even 20 miles or more away, they'd still catch up to us. Their cruise speed isn't very high, it is probably around 12 mph. Once at the fishing spot they'd dive and start scaring the fish. Many fish will bite defensively, so this is great when you are fishing with a hook and line. Any fish we couldn't legally keep we'd throw back, which the dolphins would immediately consume. They'd be right beside the boat looking at us as we removed the hook from the mouth of the fish. Dolphins are pretty obviously intelligent enough to understand what is going on in the sea. Non-mammals in the sea react to a very basic set of cues to take action. A shark can easily be confused with a quick clap on the water surface. I've also watched sharks eat metallic items, which is flat out stupid. I'm willing to bet an octopus has some significant intelligence behind it, mostly because I've never seen one get caught on a hook. This means they are smart enough to avoid them. I've never dealt with aggression from dolphins. That said, dolphins aren't going to pull up a chair and debate the merits of presidential candidates. When someone speaks of a dolphin "mourning" for another dead dolphin, I think we are just inserting what we expect a dolphin to feel. The dolphin could just as easily be confused by another dead dolphin. I've also seen what I can only call a dolphin "party". I came upon a huge group of dolphins, at least 60 or more. There were many species present. I was convinced there was a huge school of fish nearby they were feeding on. Nope, the dolphins were just hanging out. As we stopped the boat they just started jumping over the bow as if to say "Thanks for joining us".