Renowned for their intelligence, dolphins not only communicate with their own kind but can also send messages to other animal species when necessary.
Dolphins belong to the order Cetacea, a group of mammals that includes whales, dolphins, porpoises, and narwhals, comprising 89 different species. Their ancestors were land mammals, and cetaceans gradually adapted to live in aquatic environments around 55 million years ago.
In the animal kingdom, dolphins are famous for being extremely intelligent. According to scientific research, their intelligence is attributed to a brain weighing up to 1,500 grams, with the number of convolutions in their cerebral hemispheres being even more complex than that of humans.
With their intelligence, dolphins also possess highly developed communication skills, sharing many similarities with humans. Naturally, dolphins typically use their communication abilities to enhance interactions and bonds with their peers; however, they can also utilize their talents to convey messages to other species when necessary.
Like in the story below, dolphins used their communication skills to seek help from divers.
That evening, a group of divers on a mission to explore the ocean floor was unexpectedly approached by a dolphin. It showed no signs of fear in front of the strangers and swam closer. Initially, the divers were quite skeptical of the dolphin’s unusual behavior; however, when it turned to reveal numerous wounds on its body, everyone understood the reason.
The dolphin unexpectedly approached the group of divers to seek help.
A sharp fishing net and several fishing lines were embedded in the dolphin’s mouth and left pectoral fin, causing injuries that severely limited its swimming and foraging abilities.
When the dolphin sensed that help was at hand, it stopped beside one of the divers, who began the task of removing the hooks and fishing lines from the poor creature.
Then received enthusiastic help from kind-hearted individuals.
The rescue operation took only about 4 minutes; however, for the dolphin, this was a relatively long time, as they are air-breathing animals. Moreover, for the divers, working under deep water pressure is extremely challenging, but they did not give up and persevered to complete the task.
After being freed, the dolphin surfaced to breathe and then joyfully returned, much to the delight and amazement of everyone present.
The rescue process took about 4 minutes.
Many zoologists expressed their surprise after watching the clip. They believe that the dolphin genuinely sought help from the divers, and its patience during the rescue, as well as its return, demonstrate the intelligence of this animal and the trust it placed in the group of strangers.
The rescue clip of Notch—the name of the dolphin—has since gained significant attention, being showcased at the Waimea Ocean Film Festival, the Hero International Film Festival, and reaching the finals of the Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award.
