Dolphin Culture
A group of dolphins off of Australia have been seen tail-walking, and teaching each other the trick. One of the females in the group spent a couple weeks and a dolphinarium when after becoming sick from being trapped in a lock, and she likely saw the behavior there, picked it up, and then taught others in the wild. There is of course no benefit to this behavior other than that it is fun, and a new trick to play around with. The transmission of ideas and indeed the creation of a "culture" shows the high level of these animal's intelligence.
I wonder whether the very medium of water acts as a barrier to higher levels of intelligence, as intelligence is directly related to the need to manipulate and control the environment around you. This is a) more complex in the three dimensional world underwater, and b) more difficult with streamlined shapes best suited to aqueous environments.
I wonder whether the very medium of water acts as a barrier to higher levels of intelligence, as intelligence is directly related to the need to manipulate and control the environment around you. This is a) more complex in the three dimensional world underwater, and b) more difficult with streamlined shapes best suited to aqueous environments.
Have you considered the possiblity that it's actually easier to manipulate the subaqueous environment? If you've ever tried to move a 550lb boulder on ground and then tried to move the same rock underwater...you'll know what I'm talking about.
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