Picture Credit Piotr Siedlecki
What’s the what? Yes, non-human intelligent life has been
found. The catch? It’s not alien life. In fact, it’s been in front of our eyes
the whole time, right here on good ol’ planet earth. Sorry if I’ve broken your
alien dreams but this news isn’t any less fantastic just because it’s on our
home planet instead of out there in space somewhere. If you think about it, it
actually gives credence to intelligent life off planet since we now understand
that intelligent life might not be what we expect it to be.
Here’s the low down. Mammals; some of them have very large
brains, enter the dolphins, the whales, the elephants, and the apes. Take into
consideration that dolphins and whales, as we know them today, have inhabited
this planet, for millions of years prior to homo sapien sapien. In fact, they
were the dominant species on the planet long before we were even a spec on the
evolutionary scale. We’ve known for some time now that these animals are
intelligent but, after watching Nova on PBS last night, I know that there’s a
lot more to this intelligence than most people may think.
What are some of the characteristics that scientists look
for when determining if life is intelligent? Here’s a few of the biggies; is
the animal (and yes, humans are animals) self aware? In other words, do they
understand that they are an individual with their own thoughts and can they
recognize themselves in a reflection? As a comparison a human toddler is around
two years old before they understand that their reflection is not just another
child. They are around four to five before beginning to understand that their
thoughts are their own. When dolphins were shown their reflections all of them
displayed actions which are considered to be signs of self awareness. They
examine their teeth, their fins, their eyes just as a human does when we look
into a mirror. We and they, tend to look at the parts of our bodies which are
otherwise difficult to see.
What about language? We often feel that our ability to
develop and use language sets us above the other animals. Well, what if you
were to learn that many animals do have a language which they share with others
of their kind? We have just been too dumb to learn it. We assumed that because
they do not speak in a manner familiar to us, they were unable to form true
language. We failed to take into account that the physical attributes that
allow us to speak as we do are different in these different animals. Once again
enter the dolphins. We now know that the series of clicks, ticks, and other
noises dolphins use are quite literally used as language. It is known that
every dolphin has their own name and uses it exactly as we do. Yup, they use their
name to identify themselves to other dolphins.
Photo Credit Anna Langova
What else? Can an animal think about what another animal is
thinking? Experiments with chimps show that they do. Scientists looked for the
ability to manipulate another being because it demonstrates that the target
animal understands the actions and desires of another animal. In another experiment
an ape was placed in a cage without any food. A second ape was placed in a
conjoining cage and given fruits and vegetables. The apes did not know each other;
they were not related or previously acquainted. The ape with the food, unlocked
the conjoining cage allowing the first ape to come through and share the food.
Both apes sat together and ate their meal. The compassion from the second ape exhibits
a high level of intelligence and ability to empathize with others.
Speaking of empathy, we turn to the elephants. I think most
people have heard about the elephant graveyards where family members of passed
elephants come to mourn their dead. Did you know that when presented with the
bones of other large species the elephants will recognize other elephant bones
every time, even if the bones are from unrelated elephants? Another amazing
fact is that elephants understand when other animals are in pain and they try
to do something about it. They have been seen gently stroking a distressed
animal with their trunks in an attempt to comfort them.
All in all animals are, of course, awesome! I think it’s
great that scientists are finally beginning to appreciate their intelligence as
well as their magnificent nature. And, when you think about it, it makes
perfect sense that some of these animals are very intelligent. After all, they’ve
been around a lot longer than us. Maybe, just maybe, we’re the ones who need to
catch up. Perhaps our animal cousins are sitting back and waiting for us to finally
understand we do not own the market on intelligence, and that life and
intelligence may not have to be exactly like us to be legitimate. For more
information and tons of fascinating facts tune into Nova on PBS. You can catch
the whole episode here:
