3 ms·

I'm more amazed by the fact that dolphins mastered the technique of creating bubble rings. And if the description in this video is to be believed, they also pas

• a-priori 18y ago
  Individuals of many species are capable of copying the behaviour of another individuals (usually of the same species) by observation. The other primates are the most well-known mimics ("monkey see, monkey do"), but most mammals and birds do this. We like to think we're special in this respect, but we're really not. Birds, for example, learn features of their songs from other songs they hear. Over time, these features accumulate in a bird's repertoire, and even develop into a dialect for an area. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_song#Learning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_song#Learning Another example in birds is the behaviour of crows in Japan, who have learned to crack nuts by leaving them in traffic at intersections, waiting for the cross signal, then retrieving them. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0 This is the first example I've heard of a "play" behaviour being learned, but what can I say? The life of a captive dolphin would be boring; a new way to pass the time would be a useful thing to know.