A Dolphin and a Man

[CMD]

Been just beginning to delve into the subject of cognitive ethology, the study of animal minds. Very compelling subject if you're an animal lover. Dolphins have often been ranked as among the most intelligent of animals, and stories of dolphins helping humans in distress surface now and then. I recall there was even a famous dolphin who would lead ships into a harbor in Europe on a regular basis. Forget his name, It was decades ago. The event described at the link happened on Jan. 11th. A very grainy video, gets better when it's finally close in, of a dolphin cooperating with humans to regain his entrapment. Didn't check the veracity at Snopes, seemed unlikely to be a tabloid hoax.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2266794/Stricken-dolphin-asked-Hawaii-diver-help-Moment-mammal-stuck-fishing-line-pushed-scuba-instructor-waited-patiently-freed.html

[rmartin]

Interesting link Charlie. Although not as intelligent as Dolphin, I have watched interaction with Dogs for a long time. I have bred, raised, trained, and shown Weimaraners for 35 years and they never cease to amaze me. Oh, the stories I could tell!

[gregszybala]

I think we have a lot to learn about animals and how they think. We may find dolphins are smarter than us!

[CMD]

I had a cat once who enjoyed sitting in front of the TV watching nature programs. If she saw a bird fly behind a bush, she would walk up to the screen and try to look behind the bush :laugh:  She also enjoyed playing catch. She would sit on a stool. Toss a wadded up ball of paper towards her, catch it every time, placed it on the stool in front of her front paws and then use one paw to bat it back to me as hard as she could. She would play catch as long as you wanted.
A book you guys might enjoy is "The Emotional Lives of Animals. A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy-and Why They Matter" by Marc Bekoff, one of the researchers featured in the PBS Nature segment, "Animal Odd Couples".