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Well, we already know that they can use tools and teach each other (somehow) how to use tools: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7475 http://www.newscientis
by Figs 15y ago
Well, we already know that they can use tools and teach each other (somehow) how to use tools: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7475 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7475 and they've been trained to follow some pretty complex commands (e.g. make up your own jump and can synchronize it with other dolphins): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ38sycAITQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ38sycAITQ
So, we already know they can coordinate, but it's not clear if there's communication ("hey, let's do XYZ") or if they're just very quick at imitation ("Hmm, looks like Akeakamai is going to do XYZ, better do XYZ").
- todayiamme 15y agoPerhaps what we could do is set up an arena and force them to work together as a team. If we design the experiment with care then we might be able to settle the question of imitation vs. communication. For example if we hide food beneath inside a container and put several such containers in a grid then we could see if they co-ordinate the search. We could control for imitation by making the pool pitch black and covering the dolphin's eyes, thus forcing them to use echolocation extensively, which we should be able to capture. If we can track the direction and the nature of the clicks as well as the position and subsequent actions of the dolphins after making them, then we might be able to answer this question.