Cultures and Advanced Behaviors of Dolphins and Whales
Cetaceans: dolphins, whales, killer whales show a great development of their faculties to establish elaborate social relations and to weave very close social ties.
These are the findings of a joint study by: University of Manchester, Columbia University, Canada, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Stanford University, USA.
This major study has linked the level of cultural and behavioral complexity of cetaceans with the volume of their brain. The study demonstrates the correlation between these two parameters.
In addition, a list of behavioral similarities between humans and cetaceans was found as:
- complex alliances to work on joint projects
- Transfer of hunting techniques and use of tools
- Group hunting
- Using local dialects to communicate between groups
- The development of single voice signals for individualized identification
- Collaboration with other species including humans for hunting among others
- The care of young people who do not belong to the offspring
- Group play